The Bible, Genesis 2:7: "...and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul."  God "breathed the breath of life into man."  Genesis 1:29: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (food)."

We’re talking two serious fundamentals here folks: breathing and nutrition. 

Have you ever wondered why did God use "the breath"?  Why not just thought or touch?  I suspect in part because without breath there is no mind, or spirit, or as the bible states "soul".  With less or no breath the body is in malaise, anxiety, panic, dying or dead. But breathing's function encompasses much more than merely keeping the body alive. After all, aren’t there varying degrees of aliveness, or connection to one’s essence, one’s  soul?

One’s breathing has physical/mechanical dynamics that influence EVERY aspect of life. Shallow breathing equals shallow existence. Deep breathing (if it is balanced) equals a deeper experience of balanced living. Erratic unbalanced deep breathing drives our nervous systems into varying degrees of instability and a relatively distorted experience of all there is from moment to moment. We then see life through the "distorted " glasses of our jagged nerves, stressed out lifestyles, gasping inhalations and desperate situations. But we CAN experience life through more positive breathing styles and metaphors such as: lighter, smoother, easier, longer, free, great, monumental, ecstatic, joyous, inspired, uplifting, blissful, or even sometimes…oceanic. Would you prefer shallow tittering or snickering as a regular experience, or would you not prefer at least occasional deep gut level guffaws of unbridled laughter?

Science has shown us that our breathing is solely or significantly behind our respiratory neuropeptide production, endorphins, relaxation, digestion, quality of eyesight, blood oxygen saturation and alkalinity, mental clarity, emotional status, speaking, singing and chanting, and ability to recover from illness or fatigue. The way we breathe can offset the excessive energies of threats to life and even the fear of death.  The energy from the breath interrelates optimally with high vibration living foods to ignite the fuels of nutrition, resounding with the soul. There is NO way the breath or breathing does not reflect or affect every aspect of our moment-to-moment existence as human beings. Breath really IS life.

Breathing Right?
So then one might wonder. Is there a right way to breathe?  The answer is a qualified YES.

If an automobile is to perform and function it must contain specific parts: steering wheel, engine, tires, brakes, throttle, and preferably seats. The breath has certain generic qualities as well. My experience has taught me that these optimal characteristics are volume, efficiency, strength, balance and flexibility. Volume is my first priority, then balance. The rest may be related to the task at hand.  Healthy breathing is one thing that we all do the same way, and there is a universal way to develop it.

Michael Grant White is Executive Director of Breathing.com, The BreathingSchool.com and core faculty member of the Center for Professional Breathwork and Movement. He is creator of several Rapid Healthy Breathing Development programs. One of the most effective self-improvement teachers in the world today, he has devoted over thirty years to breathing development.

Mike is one of those rare individuals whose destiny was revealed to him at a very young age by being asked to sing for his grammar school student body. Subsequent physical abuse left him unable to sing and what followed was a 40 year quest to regain his singing voice and inner sense of wholeness. Learning what does NOT helped him learn what DOES work.

Michael's students include a wide range of individuals, including business executives, personal and spiritual growth seekers, amateur and professional athletes, speakers and singers.

Today, Mike is working with some of our Nation's top physicians, behavioral and alternative health specialists to expand the use of Optimal Breathing^tm in new and exciting areas of therapy, sports performance and personal growth.

Optimal Breathing^tmaddresses a Utopian or non Utopian world in the best way possible.

It is a qualified and quantified look and feel that is reflective of the best that can be had in the moment. It stems from a strong foundation and allows for freedom and depth and range of maximal experience. It allows for singing, athletics, meditating, laughing, bliss, crying, speaking out, performing delicate tasks, recovering from stress(s) of habituated activities that cause shallow or distorted breathing, the quickest and most thorough healing of wounds, illnesses, physical as well as emotional/spiritual.

It allows us to run the full range of emotions, and yet come back to deep peace, etc.  "Reasonable" is defined by our individual values.  Hopefully we seek those values that support our highest way of being.