A Wisdom Archive on Breath

Breathing transports oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out of the body. Aerobic organisms require oxygen to create energy via respiration, in the form of energy-rich molecules such as glucose Humans typically breathe between 12 and 20 times per minute, with children breathing faster than adults. Babies may breathe as much as 40 times per minute. Adults normally breathe about 500-700ml of air at a time. An average 14 year old takes around 30,000 breaths per day. Breath is sometimes used as a metaphor for life itself ... Including:

• Breath - Control of Breathing

Read more here: » Breath: Encyclopedia - Breath

 
Breath
To come close to a person in your dreaming with a pure and sweet breath, commendable will be your conduct, and a profitable consummation of business deals will follow. Breath if fetid, indicates sickness and snares. Losing one's breath, denotes signal failure where success seemed assured.  

 
Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller
 
(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Breath, Dreams - Meaning of Dream about Breath, Dream Interpretation Breath  )

For more dictionary entries, see » Breath Dictionary

IN BREATH - breathing in movement. (NAD)

 
(See also: IN BREATH, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary )

For more dictionary entries, see » Breath Dictionary

Breathing is one of the few bodily functions which, within limits, can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously. Conscious attention to breathing is common in many forms of meditation, specifically anapana. In music, breath is used to play wind and brass musical instruments and many aerophones. Laughter, physically, is simply repeated sharp breaths. Hiccups are another still-mysterious breath-related phenomenon. Specialized centers in the brainstem automatically regulate the rate and depth of breathing depending on the body’ ...

Read more here: » Breath: Encyclopedia II - Breath - Control of Breathing

The first breath of life eventually leads to the last exhale at death, but for whatever span that lies between, breathing is an unassuming, if essential, part of living. It seemed odd to me that one would need lessons in how to breathe.
 
Yet people worldwide are turning to the intensive Art of Living course on lowering stress and finding renewed vigour and clarity through age-old Hindu breathing techniques.

 
(See also: Pranayama, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions )

Read more here: » Pranayama: The Art of Breathing

It is believed that the entire creation was manifested with the sound of Om, the Nada Brahman. Om is a combination of So and Ham. This sound vibrates every moment of our life till there is life in our body, till life continues to flow through the Kundalini.
 
When the sound travels through the various bodies it gets refined and the vibration ultimately merges in Om. It is constantly chanted within us and is thus called the highest mantra, the Mantra Maheshwara. Ham beejam, says the Guru Gita, which means the sound of Ham is the seed of the entire consciousness which pervades us.

 
(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Life and Death: Science of Life - Soham or Hamsa

Breath In the astral-vital organisms of living beings the breath is called prana, which also means "life." This is not limited to the respiratory functions, but includes what physiologists might call nerve currents operating in all parts of the body, of which the pulmonary diastole and systole is only a particular manifestation. Hatha yoga deals with the study and use of these functions, but before such aspects of the lower knowledge can be profitably or even safely used, the learner must have acquired self-mastery, stability, and disinterestedness of motive.
 
The ceaseless alternate outflowing and inflowing of cosmic life or hierarchies of lives of the one manifest reality is called the Great Breath from its analogy to physiological breathing, which implies incessant alternating motion, expansion and contraction, of life, air, wind, or spirit. The sevenfold word symbolizing the logos is said to be the evolution of the breath. Though the alternation of manvantara and pralaya conjoined are the Great Breath, the alternating motion does not cease even during the long pralayic ages.
 
Breath is often used in the same sense as ray, wind, spirit, pneuma, to denote an active emanation which is at once active and passive, positive and negative, donative and receptive, the principle of polarity later in cosmic evolution becoming pronounced. An instance is when the divine breath incubates the waters of space, and worlds are produced. Absolute perpetual motion is the breath of life of the one element, and is applied to fohat. In Sanskrit it is expressed among other words by asu, the true root of asura (a living or spiritual being). In Hebrew several words express it, varying according to the spiritual or grosser meaning: neshamah, ruah, or nephesh. In Greek philosophy perhaps the main word used in this sense in pneuma, equally well translated as spirit.
 
The plural "breaths" is used to denote spirits or forces, such as the Ah-hi, dhyani-chohans, asuras, the holy circumgyrating breaths, and the seven breaths or divisions of the Logos. There may also be right- and left-hand breaths, or breaths (winds) from the four, six, or eight directions, each having its own specific quality and functions. In general, breath stands for the air element.

 
(See also: Breath, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary )

For more dictionary entries, see » Breath Dictionary

Pranayama or breath control signifies stretching, extending and regulating our breathing process. Pranayama can be used as a preparation for meditation wherein it cleanses the body and the mind. It also helps to maximise the benefits of the practice of yogasanas and also focusing the mind.

 
(See also: Pranayama, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Pranayama: Breathe Some Life Into Your Soul - Pranayama  

Buddhist Quotes: Why Don't We Have Time to Meditate?
 
If we have...presence of mind then whatever work we do will be the very tool which enables us to know right and wrong continually. There's plenty of time to meditate, we just don't fully understand the practice, that's all. While sleeping we breathe, eating we breathe, don't we? Why don't we have time to meditate? Wherever we are we breathe. If we think like this then our life has as much value as our breath, wherever we are we have time.
 
- Ajahn Chah, "Taste of Freedom"

 
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(See also: Buddhism Archives, Buddhist Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes )

Read more here: » Buddhist Quotes: Why Don't We Have Time to Meditate?

Our existence can be broadly divided into three categories - thinking, feeling and being conscious. The common link between all three is our attention. When we respond to something, physical or mental, consciously or unconsciously, we take our attention to the related part of the body. When we think, our attention is in the brain and when we carry out habitual activities, it is probably in the spinal cord.

 
(See also: Sudarshan Kriya, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Sudarshan Kriya: Balance Body & Mind With Sudarshan Kriya Yoga  

Hindu Quotes: Who Am I?
 
The Self thought, "How can this be without me?
 If speaking is done by speech, breathing by
 Breath, seeing by eyes, hearing by ears, smelling
 By nose, and meditation by the mind,
 Then who am I?" Entering the body
 Through the gateway at the crown of the head,
 He passed into the three states of consciousness
 In which the Self resides.
 
- Aitareya Upanishad

 
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(See also: Hinduism Archives, Hindu Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes )

Read more here: » Hindu Quotes: Who Am I?