I have been exploring breathing through Wim Hof’s method, Master Mantak Chia in Qigong and founder of the Universal Healing Tao System and the importance of breathing and what it can do is incredible. Wim Hof believes that through breathing techniques we can fight many mental health issues such as bi polar, anxiety, depression etc.. as well as fighting viruses and deseases in the body. Master Mantak Chia also believes there are many benefits to breathing and through breathing and focusing on your chakra’s as humans we can heal ourselves.

So it’s not just about breathing in then out there are different types of breathing and as I explore this it truly is fascinating to me. I have been doing some deep breathing exercises during my warm up walks before my runs and coldish showers and this has truly helped me run, and recover faster. I remember from my military days the directing staff shouting,

“Suck it in!” Especially after a section attack debrief as you stood there exhausted, what true words to help you recover, I just recently learned that the Navy Seals use a technique called box breathing to calm their minds and bodies before you go into a stressful situation.

Dr Chad Walding talks about three different breathing techniques, box breathing as mentioned earlier and a very similar technique to Wim Hof’s breathing, it’s called belly breathing. The purpose of belly breathing is to exercise the diaphragm better and get the lower part of the lungs filled with air; as in the modern world we do to much shallow breathing because of our western lifestyle. It’s all about oxygenation of the blood by breathing correctly and in doing so the body benefits in so many ways.

The third technique is what the doctor uses when he meditates a three step process, a very calming approach to relaxing the body whilst in meditation. There is a lot more to just breathing.

I blogged earlier on when I started this blog about a master who said he could walk through a hospital and identify people’s conditions and said he could help and prevent their conditions through breathing, that was Master Mantak Chia.

References

Three breathing techniques here

Master Mantak Chia’s website here