The Breath Is at the Core of Natural State Restoration

Our first action in life is the breath. Ultrasounds show the fetus practice breathing at about twenty weeks. The lungs are filled with amniotic fluid at that point. On ultrasound we can see a gentle rolling breath. To me, it looks natural and graceful.

I noticed that the very few genuine Shamanic healers I’ve met breathe with the same grace. I did ask one about it and got a shrug. This is probably because he always breathed that way. I spent thirty years trying to find this breathing in myself. I finally did and can teach it to you, but unfortunately, it is not easily describable in print; I feel that this way of breathing is best learned in person – or via telehealth. I’m going to attach audiofiles when I know that I have a willing audience.

On Breathing

For almost all of my clients with anxiety the anxiety is gone or almost gone in a few weeks. Most don’t know how unusual that is.

We tend to have breathing habits that increase stress by increasing blood oxygen. Scientific studies have shown that anxiety and depression are both associated with an increased blood oxygen level. I believe that most of us overbreathe.

For example, under stress, we may take a sharp breath in and hold it, or we may begin breathing rapidly into our upper chest. Tight clothes and the desire for a flat belly or “six-pack” abs also encourage us to hold in our breath and stomach muscles.

It’s almost universally believed that a “deep breath” will relax us. It never worked for me and at this point makes me dizzy.

Shamanic Breathing teaches us how to breathe for maximum ease in any situation. I can’t describe it as it may be different in different situations.

The trick is to listen to the body. I find that most often the body wants us to relax. Most of the time my clients, once I help them find that natural breath,  breathe a slow, gentle sip of air, but I’ve been surprised – I find that if they need it, people will spontaneously breathe a robust breath that is a complex Shamanic healing technique even though they had absolutely no exposure to these techniques. I call this laughtear breathing: the same big breath we take to laugh or cry.

A relaxing breath is the opposite of what almost everyone thinks. It’s a small amount of air taken deeply. (But the body is in charge, and the breath wil change, depending on the circumstances.)

Breathing in the right amount of air reduces the racing or repetitive thinking involved in stress, anxiety, and depression. When we are more relaxed, we can focus and concentrate better. To me, Shamanic Breathing acts as a dimmer switch to a racing mind.

As I said, our first act is to obey nature’s signal and take in air by creating a vacuum by relaxing the abdomen.

Our first breath brings us to life. And we recreate that fabulous moment every time we obey nature’s signal.

High-speed cameras have caught the split moment when a baby turns bright pink, red, or fuchsia after her first breath. Then her skin fades back to a healthy neutral in the blink of an eye. What a rush that first breath must be!

We can relive that joyous moment each time we breathe! And, with Natural Breathing, we can stay relaxed most of the time –even in dangerous situations.

If you have read this far and want to learn this breath I am available via telehealth and in person on the British Columbia Sunshine Coast.