How to fight stress by rhythmical breathing By Anne Jambora Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:40:00 03/31/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Her uric acid count was almost twice than normal, her cholesterol levels were threatening to shoot off the roof. And her kidney stones were numerous some have found their way into her bile duct. Suffering the worst pain in her life that no painkiller could soothe, this busy businesswoman got the final blow: She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
That was last November. Today, four months later, Bernadette Juarez’s blood chemistry is normal, including the blood sugar count. No pills, no surgeries, no doctors. (She faked her way out of Makati Medical Center’s ER, pretending to feel better upon learning she might have to undergo surgery the next day.)
The solution is so simple, Juarez said. Just learn how to breathe properly, and the rest—eating right or giving up caffeine and alcohol—will follow easily. She never even experienced withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking coffee (she owns a professional coffee-maker at home). And she attributes her recovery to the breathing techniques she learned.
Breathing technique
For its followers the world over, the Art of Living (AOL), a nonprofit, educational and humanitarian organization, teaches the cornerstone of how to truly live a stress-free life through a breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya.
From the Sanskrit words su (right), darshan (vision) and kriya (purifying action), Sudarshan Kriya is rhythmical breathing that “allows a healthy and pleasant mind to produce positive chemical messengers that travel from the nervous system to the immune system.”
It is the breath that links all the restless ebbs of life; its movement commanded by emotions and released through yielding sighs, heavy groans or gusty sobs. Master the art of breathing—how the air flows in and out of your body—and learn to be in control of your life. Existence, they say, is a fact; living is an art.
“Stress is caused when the mind fleets from the past to the future,” said the soft-spoken Ruth Kuok, who recently taught the basic AOL course to hotel employees at Makati Shangri-La.
Kuok, volunteer teacher for AOL, has a presence as still as the night that no one would guess the diminutive woman is a busy executive in Hong Kong’s cutthroat corporate world.
More often a person is angry about the past and worried about the future, Kuok said, such as “how could I have done this in the past, and how could I do it better in the future.”
“The present moment is all you have. If you can learn to be harmonious in the present moment, you will be more effective in dealing with challenges you will have in life,” Kuok said.
Controlling emotions
Thoughts and emotions have a powerful impact on the brain, affecting endocrine (the feel-good hormone) and the immune system. Chemical messengers called neuropeptides are released with each emotion. So a positive emotion affects the body in a positive way, improving resistance to disease and well-being.
She said breathing reflects how one feels; it is affected by emotions. Breathing when happy is never the same when one is frightened. The Sudarshan Kriya reintroduces the natural rhythms of breathing, or the way people are supposed to breathe before it was disrupted by a surge of negative emotions.
By identifying the link between breath and negative emotions, a person can better control all negative emotions that come his/her way. The result is a calm mind. Students find their center and experience peace, she said.
As for Kuok, she studied AOL two years ago when she noticed her friends, who have been prodding her to join the AOL, seemed more relaxed and happier. Already a health buff who’s into gym and yoga, she said she never turned her back when she learned the Sudarshan Kriya technique.
“My fears disappeared. You deal with negative emotions effectively by using the link between breath and emotion. I learned just to be able to look at life and smile through everything, trusting that everything will be fine.”
Sudarshan Kriya, Kuok said, should not be mistaken or compared to yoga. It is a form of yogic breathing, she continued, only more fundamental and basic—and without the contortionist poses. (A student even went straight into the breathing method right after surgery.)
The AOL offers various programs on how to handle and release stress. Visit www.artofliving.org.ph for more information or call 0917-8579898.
E-mail the author at ajambora@inquirer.com.ph
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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