Breathe For Health

Pronunciation: 'brE[th]
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): breathed; breath·ing
Etymology: Middle English brethen, from breth
intransitive senses
1 a : to draw air into and expel it from the lungs : RESPIRE; broadly : to take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide through natural processes
b : to inhale and exhale freely
2 to have life 
Merriam-Webster Dnline Dictionary

Two thousand five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha was at Gridhrakuta (Spirit Peak) mountain. He seated himself on a platform then asked his disciples, "How long is the human lifespan?"

One said, "Eighty years."

Buddha said, "Wrong."

Some disciples said, "Seventy years...sixty years."

Buddha said, "Wrong, wrong!"

The disciples asked, "Then just how long is the human lifespan?"

Buddha answered, "Life is all in the breathing! When you can breathe-in and breathe-out, in this moment, you are alive. When you stop breathing, in this moment, you are dead!"

"We live in very demanding times, and our health depends on our being able to relieve our bodies and minds from constant stress. Breathing with awareness can focus and concentrate our attention inside. This slows down our pace and eases the pressure, anxiety, anticipation and excitement that are common stress reactions.

At any time, you can consciously experience your breathing to help you concentrate your mind and relax your body. Compare how you feel after your session with how you felt before. Write about your experience in your journal.

Controlled deep breathing helps the body to transform the air we breathe into energy. The stream of energized air produced by
properly executed and controlled deep breathing produces a current of inner energy which radiates throughout the entire body and can be channeled to the body areas that need it the most, on demand."

"Home air purification can be a good idea, but be careful how you go about it. In a small room with poor ventilation, some indoor air purifiers can create ozone levels that exceed public health standards, according to researchers at the University of California at Irvine. Their work was published in the May, 2006, issue of the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association.

The research team tested several ozone-producing air purifiers and found that in many cases, indoor ozone levels exceeded 90 parts per billion for one hour, which equals the California safety guideline level. In some instances, the ozone level passed 350 parts per billion - more than enough, if it occurred outdoors, to trigger a Stage-2 smog alert. This is bad news: high concentrations of ozone can irritate lungs and make breathing difficult.

For those who have allergies to pollen, dust or other particulates, I recommend HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters, which remove pollutants by forcing air through screens with microscopic pores. I suggest avoiding ozone-producing air purifiers - which are often called ion devices, or negative ion generators, and which remove pollutants via electrostatic charge. High concentrations of ozone are wonderful in the upper atmosphere where they protect the earth from damaging ultraviolet light. But you don't want them in your home."

Dr. Andrew Weil
http://www.drweil.com/u/Page/Archive231/