The cellular life of the body is dependent upon the act of breathing. You may survive for some time without food. You may even survive for a few days without water. But, without air, your existence can be measured in a matter of heartbeats. To breathe is to live. There can be no life without breathing. Unless oxygen reaches the lungs in sufficient amounts, foul blood cannot be purified and waste products , which should have been transmuted to gas and expelled, will be recirculated and slowly poison the entire system. Oxygenation of the blood is also necessary for the digestion and metabolism of food... or fat.

The human body expels into the atmosphere over eight (8) gallons of carbonic acid gas every hour, as well as several other poisonous gases. In eight hours, it can throw off more than sixty-four (64) gallons of gaseous waste. As the air slowly becomes contaminated, such as in a tightly closed room, you rebreathe this noxious matter over and over again. The quality of the air becomes worse with every breath. Then, multiply the amount of toxins afloat in the air by the number of people in the room at that time, and is it any wonder that office buildings make one feel cross, stressed-out, stupid, quarrelsome, and generally bitchy.

The way you breath is affected by your emotional state of mind. When you are frightened, you will tend to hold your breath. When you are depressed, you tend to inhale more than you will exhale, usually in a long series of sighs. When excited, you tend to exhale more than you inhale. But, when relaxed and feeling at peace, you breathe more evenly, deeply and naturally. Your abdomen expands outward as you inhale, like it did when you were a baby, and contracts inward as you exhale.

From the first scream of the newborn child to the last gasp of a dying man or woman, life is but a series of breaths. There is an ancient tradition which says that our lives are not measured by years, months, or even days, but by the number of breaths we take. We are permitted only so many inhalation and exhalation cycles with which to live our lives. If we breathe shallow and fast, our lives will be over quickly, almost before they have begun, without any purpose or meaning. If, on the other hand, we breathe deep and long, our lives will have greater depth and many more years added to them.

The human being in its natural state has no need of instruction in the process of breathing. But, so-called civilization has developed improper methods of walking, standing, sitting and sleeping, which have altered our patterns of breathing and affected our overall health.

Most people only utilize one or two thirds of their full lung capacity. They either sip little breaths into the top of their lungs with the rise and fall of their shoulders, or they throw out their chests and gulp air into the middle third of their lungs, or they pump their abdomens in and out to draw the air into the larger bottom third of their lungs. This latter method is the most natural and beneficial of the three, but even it is still limiting.

Proper use of the lungs requires a Complete Breath. This is a combination of all three methods, designed to completely empty the lung cells and fill them to capacity with fresh air. But, it should be performed in one fluid motion, not in a series of jerky gulps or erratic wheezes.

First, the air cells have to be emptied. The shoulders are drawn slightly down and inward, forcing the air out of the top of the lungs. The muscles of the chest are slowly constricted, squeezing the air out of the middle of the lungs. Then, the diaphragm is thrust upward by sharply drawing in the abdomen, forcing the air up and out. It all works like a giant bellows, only not so exaggerated.

Next, the lungs have to filled again. So, the abdomen is thrust outward, drawing down on the diaphragm and sucking air into the bottom of the lungs. The chest, then, is expanded and the shoulders are thrown back, pulling air into the remainder of the air cells. Do not hold your breath. Allow the tide of air to ebb and flow naturally, in rhythm with your own heartbeat and your need for oxygen. Breathe in and out, deeply and slowly, filling your lungs to their limit and emptying them completely. Once you have this pattern firmly established, you may apply it to the following exercises.
 
 

This is an unbelievably simple exercise that will squeeze stale air and accumulated pollutants from the unused air cells of the lungs, while also massaging and strengthening the tissue of the vocal cords. This will improve and increase the capacity of your respiratory system and produce a melodic quality to your voice.

Inhale a Complete Breath through your nose. But, this time, exhale through your open mouth with an audible "ahhhh" sound. Tighten not only the chest and abdomen but every muscle of your body as you force the last bit of air from your constricted lungs. Do not inhale until you are no longer able to produce the "ahhhh" sound. Repeat this exercise four more times, using "ehhhh" - "ihhhh" - "ohhhh" - and "uhhhh" sounds.

The Cleansing Breath is quite refreshing when you are feeling all "used up." It is invigorating and indispensable for speakers, singers or anyone else who must place demands upon their voice. Not only will it increase the quality of the voice, but it will also increase the volume and projection of the tones.
 
 

Now, you will focus all of your efforts into toning and developing the large muscles which control the respiration process itself. For this exercise you will need to stand, with your feet about shoulder width apart, parallel, and the toes pointed forward. Bend your knees rather deeply and place the palms of your hands flat upon your thighs just above the knees. Your torso will lean forward at about a forty-five degree angle to the floor, but your back must be kept straight. You may have to thrust your butt out a bit to maintain this angle. Try to keep the muscles of your body as relaxed as is possible in this position. Inhale a deep Complete Breath and hold it. Now, while retaining this breath, pump the muscles of your abdomen in and out as far as possible. Begin slowly and increase the speed of this pumping action, until you are moving the muscles as fast as possible, bulging them outward and contracting them inward. Do not release the breath as you do this, though.

When you feel that you simply cannot hold the breath another moment, stop pumping your abdomen in and out, exhale through your wide-open mouth and relax. Stand erect and breathe naturally for a few seconds. Swing your arms about and relieve any tension that may have crept into your shoulders. Then, bend forward and repeat the exercise again. Continue until your abdominal muscles are too fatigued to go on, but not until they hurt. At the first sign of any real pain... STOP!!
 
 

This exercise is very bracing and energizing to the whole body. But, you may experience a slight dizziness during your first few attempts. If the immediate increase of oxygen in your blood stream disorients you, stop and walk around a while, with your hands on top of your head, until the feeling passes.

Stand erect, feet about a fist width apart, with your arms dangling loosely at your sides. Breathe in a long, slow Complete Breath. While inhaling, gently thump the chest with the palms of your hands, front, sides, top and bottom, working them all over. When the lungs are as full as they can comfortably be, retain the breath and place your hands on either side of the chest, thumbs pointing upward and fingers pointing toward your nipples. Then, squeeze ever so gently.

When you can no longer retain the air without pain, exhale through your open mouth and breathe naturally for a few moments. Repeat the entire process, three to five times.
 
 

The chest cavity itself is quite apt to become constricted and sunken, due to the unnatural act of bending over a desk for long hours every day. Besides getting up and taking a short walk several times a day, away from your desk and the office, the following exercise is necessary to reshape the chest into a semblance of its original condition. Once achieved, the capacity of the lungs will increase and the entire system will benefit.

Stand erect and inhale a Complete Breath. Retain the breath, extending your arms forward, parallel to the floor and to each other. Close the hands into fists and swing them outward to the sides, hard and fast, until the arms stand straight out from the shoulders. Slowly, return them to the front, parallel to each other. Then, repeat this action three (3) to five (5) times before exhaling again.

Exhale through the open mouth and breath naturally for a few moments. Inhale, and repeat the entire cycle for three more repetitions.