Breathing and Covid-19

Previously, we examined the relationship between foods consumed and the Covid-19 virus. This post examines the effects that kundalini mediation breathing exercises have on the metabolism. Do they fortify it? Do these exercises prepare the body to resist the ravages of Covid-19?

The answer is: nobody knows and there is no way to prove whether it could...at this time.

Sure, you can imagine a clinical experiment where selected groups that have and have not practiced diaphragmatic deep breathing would produce results scientists can measure. We're a long way from being able to do this, both from an organizational and medical standpoint.

 
All we have is extrapolations and anecdotal accounts. Nevertheless, I believe that the Golden Flower Meditation breathing exercises I practice do protect me. Why? Because these exercises are the aerobics for the diaphragm. I have no scientific evidence to support this hypothesis, only the fact that while exercising, I'm able to breathe through the nose without gasping for air.

A few days ago the NPR program Fresh Air featured a Terry Gross interview with James Nestor, a researcher exploring the many aspects of the science and art of breathing:

"You can think about breathing as being in a boat, right? So you can take a bunch of very short, stilted strokes and you're going to get to where you want to go. It's going to take a while, but you'll get there. Or you can take a few very fluid and long strokes and get there so much more efficiently. ... You want to make it very easy for your body to get air, especially if this is an act that we're doing 25,000 times a day. So, by just extending those inhales and exhales, by moving that diaphragm up and down a little more, you can have a profound effect on your blood pressure, on your mental state."

~ How The 'Lost Art' Of Breathing Can Impact Sleep And Resilience - NPR's Fresh Air

As I listened to this interview, I was struck by how much it echoes the techniques of Golden Flower Meditation:

"When you extend the belly, pushing it outward on inhalation and then pulling the belly in to expel air, you are embarking on a regimen of abdominal and diaphragmatic calisthenics. Starting this activity for the first time — whether sitting, walking, reclining, or lying down — you may feel a burning sensation. That is the muscles of the abdomen telling you that you are beginning to breathe correctly. Using the belly muscles is like pump priming, that is, using the handle of a pump (the belly) to activate the pump mechanism (the diaphragm)."

~ Golden Flower Meditation website - JJ Semple

I've found a few practical things you can use to protect yourself if you're over 70 (remember, the Covid-19 virus is 15% fatal for +80 years):

Early warning: Get an Oximeter. It warns you before the virus symptoms appear.

Diet: Avoid carbohydrates. Deadlier infection rate for those who consume carbohydrates in large quantities.

Breathing exercises: There's no reason NOT to practice some form of yogic breathing exercises, using the diaphragm and the nostrils. The diaphragm is a muscle, just as important as the muscles you exercise in the gym, if not more so. Make sure the diaphragm "participates" in every activity, whether walking, yoga, reclining, exercising, or meditation — breathe through the nostrils as described in the Fresh Air interview cited above.

Listen to it. And purchase the book. It's adapted for this day and age. In depth serious research on the lungs, the diaphragm, the nostrils, the configuration of the breathing mechanism, the importance of nasal breathing, and bodily symmetry — a topic I explore in all my books.

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