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Healing and Alternative Health:
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Conscious Breathing for Health
and Self Transformation:
The Law of Least Effort In Doing Breathing Exercises
by Dennis Lewis |
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So often I hear from people who have been attempting to breathe in a healthier way that their efforts don't seem to bring them many results. When I talk in depth with them about how they work with their breath, I not only discover that they often have little idea what is involved in healthy breathing (some people wrongly believe that healthy breathing is equivalent to "deep breathing"), but, just as important, I discover that many people use too much physical effort in their attempts at better breathing, however they define it.
For anyone who is interested in allowing "the breath of life" to animate them more fully, it is important to realize that excessive effort actually impedes the diaphragm and secondary breathing muscles and thus undermines the breath. It is therefore imperative that anyone who is attempting to work with their breath use the minimum amount of physical effort necessary when doing any kind of breathing exercises and learn how to sense what happens not only in their breathing muscles but also in their entire body when they undertake these exercises. The key, here, is self-sensing and awareness, which I go into in depth in my book The Tao of Natural Breathing, as well as in my forthcoming book from Shambhala (May 2004) Free Your Breath, Free Your Life.
In my book The Tao of Natural Breathing, I discussed the importance of "The Law of Least Effort." Here is a quotation from my book that explains the "psychophysical law" that underlies this discussion:
"As we begin to learn how to sense ourselves--especially in relation to our breathing--we will quickly see that the sensation of intense effort in the many areas of our lives often signals a 'wrong' relationship not only to what we are doing, but, perhaps more importantly, to ourselves. It is not wrong in any moral or ethical way, but simply because it is counterproductive--it goes against the laws of harmonious functioning. Wrong effort constricts our breathing, cuts us off from our own energy, and produces actions that we did not intend. ... It is clear to me today that as we learn to sense ourselves more completely and impartially, we free up the inner intelligence of our minds and bodies to learn new, better ways to accomplish our aims and promote health in our lives.
The Law of Least Effort
To understand how this is possible, it is important to understand that the brain learns and performs best when we use the least possible effort to accomplish a given task. For thousands of years, Taoist masters have emphasized this principle through their advice to use no more than 60 or 70 percent of our capacity in carrying out physical or spiritual practices. The Weber-Fechner psychophysical law demonstrates one reason why this is so important, since it states that the 'senses are organized to take notice of differences between two stimuli rather than the absolute intensity of a stimulus.' When we try hard 'to do' something, when we use unnecessary force to accomplish our goals, our whole body generally ends up becoming tense. This tension makes it more difficult for our brain and nervous systems to discern the subtle sensory impressions necessary to help carry out our intention in the most creative way possible.
The 'law of least effort' is not, however, a license for laziness. Our health, well-being, and inner growth all require a dynamic balance of tension and relaxation, of yang and yin. They depend on the ability to know through our inner and outer senses what is necessary and what is not in our efforts and actions. To sense ourselves clearly, we need to be able to experience a part or dimension of ourselves that is quiet, comfortable, and free of unnecessary tension. It is the sensation of subtle impressions coming from this more relaxed place in ourselves that allows us to observe and release the unnecessary tension in other parts of ourselves. In short, effective action requires relaxation. But this relaxation should not be a 'collapse' of either our body or our awareness. It is more like the 'vigilant relaxation' of a cat. Vigilant relaxation makes it possible to manifest the appropriate degree of contraction--the life-giving tension called 'tonus'--in any given situation."
I hope this discussion of "The Law of Least Effort" and the Weber-Fechner psychophysical law (the law can be found on page 48 of Peter Nathan's book The Nervous System, Oxford University Press) helps you understand (at least to some extent) why, if you want real, lasting results, it is so important to work as gently as possible with your breathing--especially when you are working on your own. When you put yourself in the hands of a body worker or breathing therapist, of course, he or she may work on you in necessary ways that are not always gentle. But when you do breathing exercises on your own, it is your inner sensitivity and awareness, combined with right intention and knowledge, that will eventually bring about any necessary changes. Self-inflicted force and manipulation, including tension-filled efforts to breathe deeply, will not only seldom help, but in many cases will only cause further problems.
Copyright 1997-2003 By Dennis Lewis. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced for any purpose without written permission from the author.
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Dennis Lewis,
Teacher of meditation |
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Dennis Lewis, a longtime student of the Gurdjieff Work, Taoism, and Advaita, teaches the transformative power of presence through natural breathing, qigong, and meditation.
He is the author of the acclaimed book The Tao of Natural Breathing and the audio program from Sounds True Breathing as a Metaphor for Living.
His new book, "Free Your Breath, Free Your Life: How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress, Increase Vitality, and Help You Live More Fully" was published by Shambhala Publications in May 2004.
http://www.freeyour
breath.
com
He can be reached through his website at:
www.authentic-
breathing.com
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