Nervous system and yoga breathing

Among our nerves, there are two autonomic nerves: the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve. Their function is to automatically regulate motor functions, and the person responsible for it is breathing.

Breathing is controlled by the respiratory center of the brain and the medulla oblongata (called the life point). When our body and mind changes, we respond immediately on the one hand, and on the other hand, we breathe in various rhythms.

For example, when you are angry, exhale extremely strongly and breathe violently; when you are sad and sad, inhale extremely strongly and breathe pessimistically; and when your heart is peaceful and quiet, exhale gently and slowly and breathe steadily.

Therefore, from the perspective of yoga, as long as breathing can be skillfully adjusted freely, the body, mind and nerve functions can be controlled freely.

Under normal circumstances, our breathing is about 18 times a minute; for people with good martial arts, it is about 7 times a minute; for monks in meditation, it is only about 4 times a minute. From this point of view, it is not difficult to understand that religious people and martial artists live a long life.

In Japan, long-lived people who do not grow old are called "longevity". The so-called "longevity" means "breathing out for a long time." People with shallow breathing and unstable emotions rarely live long; so do most people who are anxious and unable to calm down. In nature, grumpy monkeys breathe very quickly, so their lifespan is very short; while cranes and turtles breathe with slow and gentle long-breathing methods. Because of their extremely high lifespan, they have been called Millennium cranes and Wannian turtles since ancient times. This shows that their breathing method is one of the keys to their longevity. The close connection between longevity and long-term rest is beyond doubt.

Yoga teaches us: "The amount of breathing in a person's life is limited to a certain limit. Those who breathe quickly and in a hurry will surely die early; on the contrary, those who breathe slowly, as if tasting the air, will surely live a long life." If you want to be young and not old, the secret is to stretch your breath as long as possible.

In terms of respiratory organs, the lung capacity of ordinary people is limited by 3,000 - 4,000 cc. When we breathe in a very natural way, the amount of air we breathe at a time is only about 350-500cc.

This amount of air is not enough to meet the needs of the body, so we must try our best to regulate our breathing. For example, some people suffering from the same disease can recover quickly, while others delay for many days; when doing work of the same nature, some are extremely durable and do not feel at all. Difficulty, and some are out of breath soon. These are caused by different breathing methods. Those who have a strong resistance to disease and a lasting ability to work are those who breathe deeply.

On the contrary, people with short breaths are often disturbed and emotionally unstable due to the influence of people or things around them. They feel exhausted every day and suffer from various diseases, as if they are living in frosted glass, and their lives are bleak. (Internship Editor: Wu Jinyu)