The Power of Rhythmic Breathing
by Israel Regardie (1907-1985)

The first step toward freedom and health is a conscious realization of the vast reservoir of energy in which we live and move and have our being. When we reflect upon this repeatedly, and make repeated mental efforts to make this part and parcel of our outlook upon life, part of the hard, inflexible shell of the mind breaks down and dissolves. Then, inevitably, life and spirit pour abundantly through us. Health spontaneously arises, and a new life begins as our point of view undergoes this radical change.

Moreover, it appears that we create an environment in which we attract just those people who can help in various ways, and the things we have longed for manifest in our lives.

The first step is a purely mental one, involving a change in our perception of life, so that we realize we are in the midst of a vast reservoir of healing energy.

The second step lies in a somewhat different direction: It involves learning a process of regulated breathing — quite a simple process, and, as you will see, quite an effective one when used repeatedly.

Rhythmic Breathing
If life is all about us, all-penetrating and all-pervasive, what is more reasonable than that the very air we breathe from one moment to the next should be highly charged with vitality? To best take advantage of this, we need to take the time periodically to regulate our breathing in a calm, simple way, and to contemplate that life is the active principle in the atmosphere.

We should practice this rhythmic breathing at fixed periods of the day, in a relaxed manner, with no strenuous forcing of the mind, no overtaxing of the will. All effort must be gentle and easy; then skill is easily obtained.

Sit comfortably, or lie down, flat on your back, in a perfectly relaxed state. If sitting, the hands may be folded in the lap, or they may rest comfortably on the thighs, palms upward. If lying down, your hands should rest comfortably at your sides, palms upward.

Let the breath flow in while mentally counting very slowly, one . . . two . . . three . . . four. . . . Then exhale, counting the same beat. It is fundamental and important that we should maintain the initial rhythm we have started, whether it be at a four-beat count or a ten-beat count or any other convenient one. For it is the very rhythm itself that is responsible for the easy absorption of vitality from without, and the acceleration of the divine power within.

Unchanging rhythm is manifest everywhere in the universe. It is a living process whose parts move and are governed in accordance with cyclical laws. Look at the sun, the stars, and the planets. All move with incomparable grace, with a steady, inexorable rhythm. It is only humankind that has wandered, in its ignorance and self-complacency, far from the divine cycles of things. We have interfered with the rhythmic process that is inherent in nature. And how sadly we have paid for it!

Through quiet, rhythmic breathing, we can attune ourselves once more to the intelligent power which functions throughout nature. Our periods of rhythmic breathing can be at any time of the day or night when there is little likelihood of disturbance.

We should cultivate above all the art of relaxation during our rhythmic breathing: Learn to address each tensed muscle from toe to head as you sit in a comfortable chair or lie flat on your back in bed. Tell it deliberately to loosen its tension and cease from its unconscious constriction. Think of your blood flowing copiously to each organ in response to your command, carrying life and nourishment everywhere, producing a state of glowing, radiant health.

Begin your rhythmic breathing, then add this preliminary exercise, slowly and without haste. Gradually, as the mind accustoms itself to the idea, the lungs spontaneously will take up the rhythm. In a few minutes it will have become automatic. The whole process then becomes extremely simple and pleasurable.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance or effectiveness of this simple exercise. As the lungs take up the rhythm, automatically inhaling and exhaling to a measured beat, they communicate it and gradually extend it to all the surrounding cells and tissues. Just as a stone thrown into a pond sends out widely expanding ripples and concentric circles of motion, so does the motion of the lungs. In a few minutes, the whole body is vibrating in unison with their movement. Every cell seems to vibrate sympathetically. And very soon, the whole organism comes to feel as if it were an inexhaustible storage battery of power. The sensation — and it must be a sensation — is unmistakable.

Excerpted from the The Art of True Healingby Israel Regardie ©2013 Marc Allen. Published with permission of New World Library http://www.newworldlibrary.com

Israel Regardie(1907-1985) author of The Art of True Healing was a therapist and chiropractor as well as a writer who practiced a form of psychotherapy based on Dr. Wilhelm Reich’s work. Editor Marc Allen, the cofounder of New World Library, is an author, teacher, and successful entrepreneur who lives in northern California.