Some advice for my situation!

[Blume]

I would like to know if somebody knows about deep breathing in a polluted environment.

 

It is enouraged to breath deeply at all times by many teachers.

 

Is it ok to do deep breathing in heavily trafficed areas? I don't know the mechanics of breathing.

That is why i am asking this question.

 

Also its advised to walk barefoot at every opportunity. Is it the same case with dirt floors? or sooty air environments?

[NeiChuan]

I have my troubles in that area too.. Although what I do is breath with my chest in areas like that (when people are smoking) and basically normal small breaths, keep my eyes closed more.

 

Thing is when you abdominal breath your using lower part of your lungs you usually dont use.. So its good not to damage them especially since you use them when training.. Secondly in TCM Eyes are connected to the skin... Hence keep your eyes closed alittle more often in these enviroments.

[r.w.smith]

Near my home recently the Newspaper did an article about a a guy in his late 90s. They say he has never been sick one single day in his life,and has never ever visited any Doctors. Not only that,but he has the complexion of somebody in their 60s.

 

Well he said his good health is the result of never wearing shoes. It doesnt snow in my area and our winters are not so bad however. But this old fellow swears the wet morning dew & never wearing shoes is a sure formula to a healthy life,and i tend to agree. Lets not forget that many crucial acupoints are also in the foot,and not wearing shoes would be like some kind of massage.

 

Regards,

[freeform]

regarding shoes - check out Viov Barefoot - shoes with a very thin, flexible sole.

 

regarding breathing - practice your deep breathing in clean areas and trust your lungs to breathe as they need to in polluted areas.

 

[Gerard]

Do that in your local park and make sure you are surrounded by trees and especially during sunrise and sunset times.

[z00se]

The advise i would say is. If your worried about polluted air going in your lungs while ur meditating go to a different place. If your only doing short breaths then you are tense. If your worried about effects on your health you can't be relaxed. If it's easily avoidable avoid it, if not then ignore the pollution- you can't do anything else? Don't worry about it, just do something about it if you can. Thats all you can do

 

 

Well he said his good health is the result of never wearing shoes. It doesnt snow in my area and our winters are not so bad however. But this old fellow swears the wet morning dew & never wearing shoes is a sure formula to a healthy life,and i tend to agree. Lets not forget that many crucial acupoints are also in the foot,and not wearing shoes would be like some kind of massage.

 

Regards,

 

Yeah well this would make sense to me too. What i find is really strange is that here in china everyone ALWAYS wears footware. If you take your slippers off and a chinese can see they will gasp and fuss until you put them back on. I always walk around barefoot in my own house it's much more comfortable. I'm lucky enough to have wood floors though, i think wearing barefoot on concrete is not healthy.

Edited October 20, 2009 by z00se

[idquest]

Another aspect of deep breathing is that you massage internal organs with the diaphragm. So it is not only about oxygen and pollution.

[Blume]

I have good air ventilation at nights and early morning workouts are also open fresh air.

 

During the day I am totally exposed to visible pollution from cars, trucks buses etc.

 

I guess I should keep on deep, slow, long breaths regardless of the smog. Because this breathing should be

 

a habit and a norm. Also the internal massage factor is there.

 

Shallow breathing during the day would make me agitated and nervous!

 

I try to be in open eye meditation at all times.

[松永道]

I live in a completely polluted Chinese city.

 

Don't fear the smog. Yes it's bad, but a good Lung network will filter the pollution. Fear will weaken your defenses. Trust that healthy Lungs can clean themselves.

 

Proper breathing and posture will increase Qi, Blood and lymphatic circulation in the body. Internal massage is right. Shallow breathing, while it may seemingly reduce the amount of pollutants you breath in will also weaken circulation and therefore your bodies ability to process pollutants. Also, the nasal passage is a filter for pollutants, slow nasal breathing will give it more time to filter. In TCM deep breathing is also believed to strengthen Kidney function, another site of waste processing and removal. Also, Kidneys are viewed as the source of Defensive Qi, which is then dispersed throughout the body by the Lungs.

 

Proper diet (especially one devoid of white sugar and other excessive sweet foods like too much meats and dairy) will prevent mucus buildup. From a western view, excessive sweets can push certain gut flora into a state of overgrowth, forcing immune response to focus on their byproducts in the body, further compromising immune function and the body's ability to remove harmful factors.

 

If you're really concerned by visible pollution, you could consider getting a mask and treating it with some essential oils (but don't overdose). It can filter some of the heavier particles.

 

You're in the right habit. Don't worry, the human body is a badass.

[Smile]

http://groupweston.com/qmask_info.asp

[TianhuaQigong]

"I would like to know if somebody knows about deep breathing in a polluted environment."

 

it is bad,

 

"It is enouraged to breath deeply at all times by many teachers."

 

no, a few deep breath, in a deep mediation, the breath is almost gone. as I know, Tibet Budish has a way call "9 stage buha wind" using deep breath always, otherwise, only in a few stage using deeping breath, such as finishing Gong

 

"Is it ok to do deep breathing in heavily trafficed areas? I don't know the mechanics of breathing.

That is why i am asking this question."

 

No

 

"Also its advised to walk barefoot at every opportunity. Is it the same case with dirt floors? or sooty air environments?"

 

no , you are not there yet, it cause problem with barefoot on a cold floor (or sit on a cold floor) when you are doing Qigong. not counting very high level person

[Li TaoRen]

Of course clean air is best but... why not use your will and intent to create an energetic air filter? If you are connected and tranquil it is that simple

[Encephalon]

Of course clean air is best but... why not use your will and intent to create an energetic air filter? If you are connected and tranquil it is that simple

 

In the absence of absolute control over one's personal atmospheric conditions, I would consider a negative ion generator. There's a bunch of literature on the lack of neg. ions in contemporary environments. The prevalance of positive ions makes causes a "heaviness" that weighs down on your own electromagnetism (chi flow).

 

When it rained in LA last week for the first time in months, the neg. ion effect of post-rainfall was like a chi booster. I'd like to buy a generator soon, one just big enough for the bedroom.

[Blume]

Thanks for all the helpful hints. Some ideas resonates well with me like the "Best practices" to do in the polluted environment etc...

 

When a big chunk of smoke hits me I instinctively hold my breath. At other times I keep breathing normal

 

slighly deeper breaths. Although My normal breath rate is 17-18 breaths per minute which i am working to slow down. My goal is 6-8 breaths per minute.

 

How do you actually visualize an Energetic filter?

[enouch]

Near my home recently the Newspaper did an article about a a guy in his late 90s. They say he has never been sick one single day in his life,and has never ever visited any Doctors. Not only that,but he has the complexion of somebody in their 60s.

 

Well he said his good health is the result of never wearing shoes. It doesnt snow in my area and our winters are not so bad however. But this old fellow swears the wet morning dew & never wearing shoes is a sure formula to a healthy life,and i tend to agree. Lets not forget that many crucial acupoints are also in the foot,and not wearing shoes would be like some kind of massage.

 

Regards,

 

 

 

Fascinating the similarities between the chinese and indian systems, this guy also walked about barefoot.Claiming some sort of energetic empowerment from the earth.

 

An Indian saint named Devraha Baba, who passed away in 1989, was a yogi who lived just such a lifestyle. Devraha Baba was from the spiritual heritage of the Avatar Ramanandacharya, and lived beside the Yamuna river in Mathura. He lived on a 12-foot-high wooden platform where he usually remained stark naked. He never ate food. He only drank water from the Yamuna river. He claimed he could be in two places simultaneously (a siddhi described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras). He was observed to have stayed underwater unaided for half an hour. He always radiated love. He was a Premaswarupa, an incarnation of love. He gave darshan (spiritual blessing) to devotees who came to pay homage. Many came to visit this great illustrious saint. People came from all over India and from all walks of life. He was a favorite among India's senior politicians, and was visited by Mrs. Indira and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Ministers, saints, yogis, priests, rich and poor all came for Baba's darshan.

 

It was rumored that Devraha Baba claimed that he had lived for over 700 years. Until I can substantiate this rumor I need to consider it just a rumor. Nevertheless, I make mention of this rumor because Devraha Baba's family tree records place his age to be at least 250 years when he took mahasamadhi (relinquished his body) in 1989. If he was able to live to be 250, then it is possible that he lived for 700 years as well. Baba was called, "The Ageless Yogi." Devraha Baba gained mastery over the khecheri state of yoga whereby he was able to control his hunger and the time of his death. Dr. Rajendra Prashad, who was the first president of India, verified Devraha Baba's old age. He said that he personally attests to Devraha Baba being at least 150 years old. He said that when he was 73 years old, his father took him to see Baba, who was a very old man, and that his father already had known Baba for many years before that. An Allahabad High Court Barrister had stated that seven generations of his family had sat at the feet of Devraha Baba. Incidentally, Devraha Baba had predicted the time of his death five years in advance

 

 

 

 

You can find rare live footage of him on youtube-in russian.

Edited October 23, 2009 by enouch

[Blume]

I am also doing the Super Power Breathing method introduced by Paul C. Bragg who learned it from an Indian

 

guru 126 years old.!

 

Anyone doing these exercised for building lung capacity.

[MayDay]

I would like to know if somebody knows about deep breathing in a polluted environment.

 

It is enouraged to breath deeply at all times by many teachers.

 

Is it ok to do deep breathing in heavily trafficed areas? I don't know the mechanics of breathing.

That is why i am asking this question.

 

Also its advised to walk barefoot at every opportunity. Is it the same case with dirt floors? or sooty air environments?

 

 

This is very important, I think. If there's a technique somewhere, please circulate. I would be deeply honored to learn.

 

Other than the few wilderness spots, can't think of places not even a bit polluted at this point. You're definitely breathing in bad air.

 

If there's a technique to breathe in good particles, and check off the bad ones so I can have pure healthy air, that'd be great.