Emotion Control:
If you're feeling too emotional, whether angry or sorry for yourself, breathe deeply into your navel. It's impossible to be too emotional when you're doing diaphragmatic breathing; it'll bring you to a neutral state and make you able to handle the situation better.

 

By chang on Monday, March 18, 2002 - 03:12 pm:

How do I breathe into my navel?
By renée on Monday, March 18, 2002 - 04:01 pm:

pierce it.
By jon on Tuesday, March 19, 2002 - 12:21 am:

(giggling)
By Arthur Kegerreis (Librlart) on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 04:31 pm:

Of course some people prefer to use straws.

There are some yogis who pierce their 3rd eye and insert a straw to do the same thing. This hasn't caught on in the west yet.

Yogi Bhajan said that piercing your navel is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do to yourself. Your navel is your power center; it's the vortex of all the meridians of your body. When you pierce it, you disturb the balance of your system.

By chang on Friday, March 22, 2002 - 12:40 pm:

If I pierced my navel I think it would let the air OUT. And then I'd zip around the room like a deflating balloon.


Breath of Fire is a short, rapid breath through the nose (unless otherwise specified) that comes from the navel. The navel should be your point of attention, and you should feel it pulsating as you continue. There should be an equal emphasis on the inhale and exhale. It is almost like sniffing rapidly. To begin it, focus on the exhale first, let the inhalation happen naturally, and build up speed. Some people confuse it with hyperventilating, however hyperventilation is a shallow breath that only comes from the upper chest. Breath of Fire comes from the navel and utilizes the whole lung.

It has many beneficial effects; it helps clean out your lungs, it oxygenates your blood, and it massages your internal organs. I've found it helps my allergies immensely. I've heard of physicians who were shocked how bright red the blood of their patients were, only to find that they'd been practicing breath of fire regularly. Apparently, highly oxygenated blood is very helpful in fighting disease and rejuvenating the body.