Sema Fadil - Breathe Yourself Back to Life: Secrets of Pranayama

Breathe

Yourself Back

To Life

Secrets of Pranayama

By Sema Fadil

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I dedicate this work to all those who are seeking freedom from suffering

Special thanks to

Ken Thompson

Linda Lee

Maharaji Rajan Sharma

Balak Bhagwan

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Goenka

Kriya Yoga and

Ashtanga Yoga

Michael Overs

Binnie Dansby

For helping me explore and understand the breath and its relationship to the eternal

For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth. ~Sanskrit Proverb

• We do not normally think about good breathing habits when we think about our health but research has found that breathing is one of the most important factors of good health if not the most essential. Below are results of research into the effects of both good and bad breathing:

• The average person reaches their peak respiratory performance and lung capacity by their mid 20's? After this respiratory capacity is lost between 9 and 25% for every decade of life! So, unless youre doing something to maintain or improve your breathing ability, it will decline, and with it so will your general health and your life expectancy!

• Clinical studies have proven that oxygen, wellness, and life span are totally dependent on proper breathing. A study group of 5,200-people observed over 30-years showed that the measurement of pulmonary function is a gauge of general health and vigour and is in fact the primary measure of potential life span.

• Most people have unhealthy breathing habits. They hold their breath or breathe high in the chest or in a shallow, irregular manner. These patterns have been unconsciously adopted, accidentally formed, or emotionally impressed. Such "typical" breathing patterns actually trigger stress and anxiety reactions!

• Given an optimal diet, the respiratory system should be responsible for eliminating 70% of your metabolic waste. The remainder should be eliminated through defecation 3%, urination 8%, and perspiration 19%. Therefore healthy correct breathing should be as much of a priority as going to the bathroom every day.

• Oxygen is the basis of life and is one of the key factors in keeping the immune system healthy. It has long been an accepted fact that healing cannot be achieved without sufficient oxygen levels in the tissues and at the cellular level where most illnesses and injuries occur. Oxygen helps fight infections and helps the body heal itself very quickly.

• When our blood is heavily oxygenated it becomes very difficult for viruses and bacteria to grow in our body. It was found that rich oxygenation has a rapid but reversible inhibitory effect.

• Many athletes, including professional football, hockey and basketball players use oxygen therapy to speed-heal injuries and muscle strain, quickly repair broken bones, heal wounds, burns and increase endurance.

• Oxygen therapy can also help fight infections, relieve fibromyalgia, Epstein-Barr, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, AIDS, reduce inflammation, fight flesh-eating disease, gangrene and heal diabetic wounds. It's also been linked to treating thousands of cases of MS in the U.K. Oxygen therapy is especially beneficial immediately following a stroke, or drowning, as it can prevent further damage to surrounding tissue, facilitating a quicker recovery period.

• Improper breathing either worsens or causes every illness known to mankind. Unbalanced breathing or over-breathing as it is sometimes called is the culprit behind over a hundred illnesses.

• Lung volume is the primary marker for how long you will live. Heart attacks, cancer, strokes, pneumonia, asthma, speech problems and almost every disease known to mankind is worsened or improved by how well you breathe.

• Your breathing volume is a key factor in your biological age, which is different to your chronological age. A physically active 45 year old can have the biological age of a 35 year old, and an inactive 45 year old can have the biological age of a 55 -75 year old. Proper breathing can help to lower your biological age.

Contents

Welcome to a series of simple exercises that will make you look and feel amazing. There is no mystery here; there is nothing you will have to give up, no ball-breaking series of strenuous exercises youll have to do you wont even need a Yoga mat. Just follow the simple instructions in this book and get ready to experience greater life energy, NOW! I will challenge anyone to follow these instructions and not feel some improvement in their energy levels almost immediately.

With regular practise, even 15 minutes a day you will certainly:

• Have more energy in general
• Look and feel more youthful
• Improve the quality and appearance of your skin
• Feel invigorated and awake
• Have greater concentration
• Regulate your metabolism
• Boost your immune system
• Enliven your senses
• Become calmer and more relaxed
• Improve your sleep
• Bring about a subtle but deep transformation

The use of controlled breathing as a means of promoting relaxation can help manage a range of disorders, including:

• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Chronic pain
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Panic attacks
• Some skin conditions, such as eczema
• Stress.

I know this all sounds quite miraculous but actually its very simple. Controlling your breath means increasing your energy intake and assimilation. This in itself is a healing process and once you learn how to do it you will be able to use this increased energy in a number of beneficial ways.

Just follow the exercises in this book and you will see how easy it is to make changes that will affect your life in a positive and uplifting way and create permanent changes that will benefit you for life!

I first discovered the amazing benefits of breath controls after a debilitating disease I contracted whilst travelling. In 1984 I visited Pakistan and contracted hepatitis through contaminated food. As a result, I became very ill for 3 months. I was bedridden, unable to eat anything for about 1 month and my body wasted away.

When I finally started to recover, I was so emaciated that I was unable to exercise due to muscle wastage from bed rest but Id read about Yogic breathing and remembered a few pranayama breath controls that were taught to me by my first yoga teacher in my teens. So I decided to try a few exercises. Within a week I was feeling much more robust and within a fortnight I was up and about. I realised then how powerful the breath was and went on to study a course in Yoga, later becoming a dedicated teacher.