Effortless Breathing- Change your brainwaves
Weight Loss Through Aware Breathing
*Breath is life. How we breathe reflects what’s happening in our body, feelings, thoughts and actions. This is the first part of a series in how to breathe 10-50% more deeply and effortlessly, as well as how to change your brain waves with a style of breathing developed by the Menninger Brain Institute. This is combined with the ancient wisdom of yoga and qigong to allow you to breathe naturally. Our natural breath is like the waves of the ocean washing upon the beach and back into the sea again.
Have you ever noticed when you’re anxious your breath becomes more rapid? How do you feel when you hold your breath or breathe very shallow? Is there any difference in how you breathe when you’re feeling irritated by traffic, triggered by what someone says or does, or when you are relaxed?
Watch a baby and you’ll notice that they first breathe into the abdomen and then the breath expands, throughout the ribcage, and in the lower back. It’s important to become aware of how your breath. Do you first breathe and expand your abdomen or does your chest rise first? It’s very common to breathe by first expanding your chest, which can tighten your shoulders and restrict up to 20% or more your breathing capacity. Since the brain takes 20% of the available oxygen and life force, this is crucial. Statistically we lose 10% of our breathing capacity after age 40 due to shallow breathing. If we have adopted shallow breathing as a child due to a stress filled environment, then this can be a crucial factor in contributing to aging, pain and disease. How do we change this?
Abdomen Breathing: Place your hand on your abdomen or put a book on your stomach while lying down. As you breathe in, allow your abdomen or the book to rise first. Then allow the breath to open up like opening an umbrella or blowing up a balloon. Notice how easy or hard it is. For most people this takes practice at first. Be patient. Practice 7 minutes or more one to three times daily. As you exhale, smile.
Yoga Breathing Mudra – enhances effortless breathing while gently balances five chakras. Place your fingers in this position. During the 25 years I have worked with clients, 90% have found their breath increases effortlessly. The position of your fingers affects your chakras beneficially, as well as countless number of nerves in your whole body. Because of unresolved grief, the muscles in your chest can become constricted. This will help release this constriction.
- Thumb, middle, little finger gently pressed together (palm to palm)
- Both index fingers move behind the middle finger (don’t strain)
- Right ring finger in front of left (increases inhale in 80% of people)
- Left ring finger in front of right (increase exhale in 80% of people)
- Whenever you inhale or exhale change the position of your ring finger.
Yoga Breathing Mudra
Now allow yourself to breathe into your abdomen first with the breath flowing like a wave opening up your chest. Allow your shoulders to remain relaxed. As you exhale, smile.
Allow yourself to practice to 7-30 minutes one to three times or day or whenever needed.
Qigong Effortless Breathing (Breathing Exercises, Meditation for beginners and for advanced)
As you smile, allow your tongue to touch the roof of your mouth as far back as possible, without tightening the tongue (it’s important to keep your tongue relaxed for this to be effective). For many people this will allow your inhale to increase significantly. As you exhale place the tip of your tongue below your front lower teeth. This will increase your exhale. This Qigong practice also balances 12 acupuncture meridians of your body. This tongue exercise also makes it easier to practice this aware breathing at any time. It’s still important to practice the Yoga breathing mudra because it has different healing and transforming effects.
“Weight Mastery Through Aware & Effortless Breathing
For many people working out can be extremely helpful to losing excess weight. At the same time, statistically over 80% people who lose excess weight will gain it back with 2-3 years. One of keys to successfully losing excess weight and keeping it off is dissolving your accumulated stress load. Alpha breathing can be a wonderful aid in this process. Before you choose what you’re going to eat, allow yourself to take 3-7 alpha relaxing centering breaths. This will help you make wiser more healthier decisions about what foods you’ll be consuming. Then before you start eating, allow yourself to take 1 alpha breath. Then take a bite of food and eat it. Then take another alpha breath. Repeat alternating breathing with taking one bite of food through some or all of your meal. Many people unconsciously manage their stress level and reward themselves with unhealthy food choices or too much food. This unconscious addictive response will dissolve through interrupting the pattern through Effortless Alpha breathing. Practice Alpha Breathing practices outlined in the rest of the blog.
Alpha, Theta, Delta Breathing- from indications of Mennenger Brain Institute and Jack Swartz
The Mennenger Brain Institute studied thousands of people and found certain breathing patterns created consistently certain brain wave states.
Beta brain waves are emitted in the consciously alert, tense, afraid irritated state. Frequencies range from 13 to 60 pulses per second in the Hertz scale.
Alpha brain waves arise in the state of physical and mental relaxation while still being aware of what’s happening. (7 to 13 pulses per second)
Theta brain waves occur in either sleep or deep meditative state. (4 to 7 pulses)
Delta brain waves occur with deep sleep, very deep meditation or unconsciousness (brain waves emitted .1 to 4 cycles per second)
Experiencing life in the Beta brainwave state:
Most people spend most of their life in the Beta brain wave. The potential to experience more aging, disease and pain increases in the Beta state. It’s easier to be more reactive, moody and triggered by life in the Beta state.
“The calm, relaxed, centered, creative and intuitive alpha brainwave state:
In the Alpha state, we are calmer, centered, intuitive; able to absorb, learn and retain new information- it’s ideal and feels so good! The attentive relaxation or Alpha state that effortless breathing, meditation, yoga, qigong, tai chi, prayer, relaxation exercises, and hypnosis improves the quality of each moment of our life. In alpha our body also produces more endorphins helping dissolve pain or inflammation.
You may want to spend more time in Alpha, Theta and Delta brain waves. Why not? My clients enjoy and derive great benefits from a massage therapy session where the Alpha-Theta state is also gently induced through Biofeedback and the Original Chi machine. Just imagine how much more energy, peace, clarity of intuition, confidence this will help you experience? Also, remember the more Alpha brainwaves, the more endorphins the body creates dissolving pain and inflammation. Ninety percent of pain and disease is thought to be from inflammation and congestion internally. Breathe your way to radiant health, longevity, inner peace and vitality.
Beta Brain waves: inhale to a 4 count 4 hold or pause 4 exhale 4 hold (any combination of this give you an beta brain wave)
Alpha Brain waves: inhale to a 4 count, pause or hold 8 exhale slowly with peaceful smile 8 hold 4 remember not to strain
Theta brain waves: inhale to a 4 count hold to a 8 count 16 count exhale with a soft smile to a 16 count and then pause to a 4 count
Delta brain waves: inhale to a 4 count pause to an 8 count exhale with a gentle smile to a 24 and pause to a 4 count
Don’t strain you can harm yourself. I would suggest you do Alpha breathing techniques 7-30 minutes or more daily. Combine it with abdomen breathing, yoga breathing madras and qigong effortless breathing. Slowly build up to Theta and Delta breaths after doing Alpha breathing at least 6 months.
Meditation and prayer: The focus or intent of heart and mind
Elevating and expansive feelings and thoughts empower your breath in many ways. The healing and transforming effects of affirmation, prayer, mantra, witnessing, mindfulness meditation, gratefulness and love are so vitally important in an aware life.
Learning how to meditate:
“There are many paths to the top of the mountain. The view is the same.” There are many paths, practices to realizing the vastness of love, peace, bliss and inner freedom of being One (One with God, Supreme Consciousness, Tao, Creator of All that is, Beloved, many are the Sacred Names of that Eternal mystery). As one Himalayan yoga said: “Be that what you really are. Don’t pretend to be what you are not.”
I have been teaching meditation practices for over 30 years to people all spiritual, meditative paths of all levels of experience and every religion. It is an amazing challenge how to still the restless mind so that you can experience that ineffable state of peace and bliss. If you’re interested in sessions or private instruction either locally in Santa Rosa, Petaluma Ca. or phone or Skype sessions from anywhere in the U.S. please contact me. www.robertlabensart@gmail.com
In my upcoming blogs : Effortlesss Breathing pt. 2 & 3
I will relate: how to use Effortless Breathing along with:
Akido breathing:
Qigong Cellular Breathing technique:
Mantra Yogic breathing – Experiencing the Divine Presence
Inner Smile Qigong Breathing:
Emotional Release and Clearing through your Breath
I have found that many people who have been meditating for 10-20 years or more experience such peace, inspiration and centering in their meditations, but have many difficult challenges in applying it in their relationships and in their workplace. If only relationships would be as peaceful and loving as meditation. Many of these people have told me that by learning and using hypnosis, qigong, yoga emotional release and clearing techniques that it has not only made a major difference in deepening their meditations but has tremendously helped improve the quality of all their relationships.
Please consider going on my website and click on either Hypnotherapy or Beyond Hypnotherapy to find out more. These approaches can be combined with effortless breathing and meditation.
“Beyond Hypnotherapy techniques allow one to clear the intensity of upsetting feelings, addictive or sabotaging behaviors, and trauma fairly easily. By combining effortless breathing, meditation or prayer with these approaches, it enables you to release and clear the underlying emotional causes behind the restless mind. It’s amazing how much these awareness techniques help.
Experience private sessions in Hypnotherapy or in Emotional Release and Clearing techniques
In Santa Rosa, Petaluma, San Rafael, CA
Or with phone or Skype
Email me if interested
Robert Labensart, CHT, CMT, RYT
Santa Rosa, Petaluma, San Rafael, California
707-396-8788
Empowerment Weekend Workshop Intensives
Upcoming
I will be offering soon all day weekend intensives on: Being who you really are: Letting go & Experiencing the Mystery within
in Santa Rosa, Ca.
Focusing on: * daily “yoga” and “qigong” * “meditation” support and inspiration for all levels of experience * Group hypnotherapy * learning self-hypnosis * Sedona method * Stillpoint Transformational Matrix *Effort free Life from Chris Payne from England * Heartmath *Intuition Releasing * Matrix transformation * Re-evaluation Release Therapy and more. If interested, please email me. robertlabensart@gmail.com
Thank you.
Disclaimer: The information (techniques and approaches) in this blog is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Check with your medical provider first before using these approaches. None of these therapeutic approaches treat or cure any health condition nor substitute for the need of professional medical intervention. Testimonies are anectodal only and do not represent what you may experience. Results do vary.
