Breathing and 'Chi'

Life is not merely in the body, the food, water or air itself, but it is a component of bio-energy, which the Chinese call Chi or life force.Where does this energy come from? We get some of it from the foods that we eat and the water we drink and what is generated in the mitochondria of each cell.

Air is also another important chi source.The energy or chi that is in the air is known today as Ions. Ions are produced naturally by the actions of the sun, wind, waves, moving water and especially from trees, plants, and other green life which gives off large quantities of these vital ions including oxygen as well.

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Specifically, it’s the negative ions that are so important to life and health.

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Remember my old post on negative ions.? I wrote about the abundance of negative ions in Hunza Valley water that makes it so miraculous.(click here for review).

Recently science also discovered many benefits from exposure to sunlight, which is another source of chi.see the benefits of sunlight here

It is also found that in the city, there is only about one negative Ion for every five hundred positive ions. In the village, this ratio is reversed to about three negative ions per one positive ion, a huge difference as you can see.

When we practice deep breathing, we're taking in much more of these negative ions than we normally do.

Since most of us lead sedentary lifestyles, we tend to breath very shallow, from only the upper third of the lungs. This is especially true when one is sitting for long periods of time. This slowly starves the body of much needed ionic energy or chi as well as oxygen. This has the immediate effect of making us feel sluggish, lethargic and tired.

Over time, this can lead to much more serious problem such as premature aging, dry and wrinkly skin, other diseases including cancer; since cancer cells can’t exist in an oxygenated environment, when we shallow breathe were starving the system of much needed oxygen and vital life energies that body needs to live.

A simple exercise that can be performed is to simply take a deep breath, hold it for three or four seconds to maximize the extraction of oxygen and chi from the system, exhale for a five second count, then hold the exhalation for three or four seconds, then inhale for a five count. That would be one rep or count. Repeat this ten times while out in the hopefully fresh air and then see how you feel.