Breathing
Gregg Emmel, Knotz Inventor, Culver City, California
We breathe without ever thinking about it. We breathe for the situation, sitting or running, we take in and let out air to keep us going. We live. We eat. We breath. Breathing is the essential activity our body does every second of our life, awake or sleeping.
Learning how to use our breath for different situations, one can foster a connection with the mind and body at a metaphysical level, opening like a window to bring fresh air in and push stale air out. Breathing can be used to slow down or speed up the Metabolism of the self. By breathing deeply with conviction and purpose we take in Oxygen and Prana & Chi for more power and healing energy. By breathing just as deep but slowly and centered, one can slow down the Metabolism tapping the serene peace inside all of us, relaxing the body and mind. We have power within and our ally is Breath.
This energy heals at the subatomic level altering our very cell structure, atoms affected by forces beyond themselves, magnetism, chemistry, happiness, pain, sorrow, smelling memories triggering generational memories. We are powerful super-beings, our own superheroes with energy to heal.
I’ve been interested in my breath and how it flows through my body since I was a little kid, trying to figure how things work. Oxygen going into the blood stream and circulating through out the whole body in the span of a breath, still blows my mind that our bodies can do such miracles. Breathing for a purpose first came to my attention though magic, reading about Harry Houdini. He practiced holding his breath for long periods of time by extending each breath deeper and deeper in and out. Gradually he extended his capacity to hold his breath for minutes. As a 12 year old I was fascinated.
Practicing at night before sleeping, I would slowly fill & empty my lungs over minutes at a time. It began as an experiment and turned into a life long practice that has trained me to be very good at elongating my breath. Here’s a thought I came across later in life: a Kung Fu movie suggested we have only so many breaths in this life before we pass on. I figure true or not, it pays to extend them as long as possible.
Following the path of Houdini’s breathing technique, the natural next step was Meditation. Looking back, Houdini’s practice was my first experience of meditation in a way. Transcendental Meditation was my second experience and a portal that opened my mind and body without me knowing. Breathing, mantras and conscience action are part of the TM picture, which is best learned with guilds that can enlighten the shadows.
My breathing meditations on the other hand, require only a willingness to try. My breathing practices have evolved into different processes or techniques for my own personal experience, which I would like to share with you. Here are a few I will try to explain and describe that focus on the breath.
A breathing technique I call Center Breathing helps me to reset my body for the moment ahead, centering my being. I breathe very slowly, steady and deep, in and out of my nose. Filling my lungs, pulling my diaphragm down and contracting my lower abdominal muscles. With in a few deep breaths, my pulse and body start to slow. Centering my body through breathing makes it easier to center my mind. While my breath becomes my meter, my body and mind relax allowing space for my nervous system to reboot and calm itself. My wandering mind makes focusing and coming back to my breath comforting and strengthens my body/mind connection. With every Breath, I become more in control of myself.
The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity containing the heart and lungs, from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in breathing, as the diaphragm contracts, volume of the thoracic cavity increases and air is drawn into the lungs.
Energy within is a breath away, which I call Power Breathing another breathing technique. To power up, humans need fuel to burn -- food. Our body creates its own energy from food, but there are techniques to enhance that energy with breathing. Our breath is an unconscious action, but when we turn our attention to it, our breath can be a powerful friend. Breathing sharp and forcefully in and out of my mouth, I can accelerate my metabolism to the point of explosive, rising my oxygen levels, heart rate, body temperature and overall energy level. This is great before and during hard physical activity, like skiing in sub zero weather, getting ready to mountain bike up, well a mountain, or wrestling with a friend.
Another breathing technique I call Breathing Knotz, is my breathing meditation while using the Knotz Massage Tools. Depending on how and where my body feels stress, I will lay on the Knotz Tool of my choice in that area. With slow and steady breathing, I visualize Earth’s life force into the area where I am laying on the Knotz Massage Tool. Taking time to be aware of my body and breath, I can bring vital oxygen focused to the point of contact, breathing into the Knotz Massage Tool and working out pain.
Breath is my catalyst to let myself connect with myself, meaning, the more I connect all of me, the more capacity I have to power up or relax, energize and reenergize, mend unseen nerves and center my power, letting stress go. Using my breathe in different ways, I am able to nurture my body with Chi / Prana, healing and centering in the moment’s feeling. Breathing is free and reminds me “It’s every moment.” Being in my body, feeling my body, gives me the power to understand and heal my own body. That is why I invented these Knotz Massage Tools, To Heal Myself!
Thanks for reading, look for the Knotz Self Massage Tools videos of 10 Self Massage Techniques using Knotz Massage Tools and how to use your Knotz, Go to knotzmassagetools.com, sign up, get your set, give me a call, let me know what you are doing and how you are healing yourself. Thanks for reading!
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Gregg Emmel
Author