Thanks Prism, I will first get my mind ready for what I intend to put my body through at some point in the very-near future… this is how I currently have to roll… don’t want to shock the ole system with surprise now. 
I may start with one cycle and build up from there, so I can gauge what impact it’s having and how much conscientious breathing and oxygen I can tolerate. It seems very Zen/meditative, so I might go within after, as its been a long time since I last Zazened. 
MagsJ,
I hope that you are enjoying your new-found freedom from moderating.
D I R E
of a situation or event) extremely serious or urgent.
I am not so sure that dire would be a good word to express your quote above. Perhaps important or of value would work better, at least to me.
Dire might give one an obsessive, fearful sensation, like waiting for the other shoe to fall which would not really contribute to one’s sense of well being. Aside from that…
I am not sure how you yourself are using the word, spirituality, but it does not have to pertain to religion/religiosity. One’s spirituality pertains to things or practices or to a posture which allows or helps one’s self and spirit to be made fully whole or as whole as it can be. I think that it can also be in part one’s way of looking at the world as in seeing the inter-connectiveness of everything and everyone.
Well-being and spirituality go hand in hand. They feed off of or are in harmony with one another. I think that if one is suffering, the other is also suffering ~ just like if the mind is suffering, the body is suffering and vica versa.
Perhaps there is a far better, beneficial connection to well-being and spirituality if one does not hold one’s breath too long but rather learns to let it out more often.
Why the premise of the op seems incoherent to me is formalized in your comments here, Prismatic. You’re conflating the “spirit-breath” metaphor with a literal breathing exercise, which intuitively makes no sense unless you’re able to show some logical connections between the two, as Karpel contends. Metaphor serves as a pointer to some likeness, in this case a likeness (in the Genesis account in the Christian Bible anyway) between the concrete [breath] and ethereal [spirit]. There seems to me a logical breakdown in transmitting the symbolic to a literal exercise, which some Christians also tend to do.
Breathing tachniques or breath retaintion period has nothing to do with sprituality. Breathing is a physical excecise while spirituality is done by mind. The only thing where breathing helps is that it provides a rythmatic and perpatual thing for mind to focus upon. nothing else whatsoever.
with love,
sanjay
I agree ‘well-being’ would be less ambiguous than ‘spirituality’.
Yes, that too long to the extreme but sufficient to reflect the normal well-being.
I believe there is a correlation between breathe and spirit in the well-being sense, not like ghosts or an independent soul.
Exactly. Which is fine. It might help you deal with physical pain or other similar challenges to learn how to hold your breath a long time. It might very well be good for something. It could be connected to a philosophy. But spirituality has to do with what are considered, by materialists, to be non-material entities. I have never understood why some people must use spirituality when the word philosophy covers the same ground and can be secular. It’s very cake and eat it too.
Or actually its very there is no cake
and I am eating it anyway.
The Hindu traditions especially do work with breathing in spiritual contexts. Pranayama and more. But there is no reason for a secular person to use the word spirituality. They can call it a life philosophy or training is meeting adversity, in this case, or whatever. Yes, the word spirituality does come etymologically from words having to do with the breath.
All our words trail back in time to metaphors having to do with things near to us. But the word use has moved on in the last couple of thousand years. It is completely misleading for an atheist to use the term in the way he does.
Then he still bears a burden to show that holding breath leads to personal qualities that are broadly beneficial. IOW that it leads to one having positive attitudes about life in general, meeting adversity and so on. It’s an interesting idea. It is, in fact, one that can be tested empirically.
But of course he writes as if we already have all the empirical evidence in already. It is simply the case because his deduction says it is so.
He is a supporter of science, in theory, but in practice he is a Rationalist - in the strict philosophical sense meaning that he can,without empirical study, reason his way to truths. Now this latter would be fine, but it ain’t remotely science and he is utterly on the side of empiricists, in his own idiosyncratic way, whenever anyone else thinks they know something he doesn’t like.
I written elsewhere and above, spirituality is a very loose term, ranging from ghostly spirits, the spirit as an independent soul [atman], team spirit, spiritual as in religions, etc.
In my case, I relate ‘spirituality’ more to holistic well-being of the person rather than any spiritual being of the person.
Breathing is most fundamental to the well-being of a person.
Thus the manner a person breathe is critical to bring oxygen to the body to maintain the most optimal well being for the person.
First there is big difference between the natural diaphragmatic breathing and other chest and throat breathing.
A person who is not healthy will often run out of breath easily.
There are many meditative techniques that use the counting and attention to breathing but this is very basic. Even then this will help to improve on one’s well being or spirituality in that sense.
The Art of Breathing is a critical subject in the higher practices of all spirituality [well-being].
Note Pranayama within Hinduism and the similar topic exists in Buddhism and other spiritual practices.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranayama
In Pranayama, there is the kindergarten level to the PhD level with different sophistication in the breathing techniques that bring higher optimality of well-being [spiritual].
Since Pranayama is a old age tradition and practices of Hinduism, I am quite certain there are sophisticated breathing techniques with Santmat which are practiced by the more serious practitioners.
The Radha Soami, Sant Mat Masters of this age have given this area in the … Pranayam is the exercise of breath control or breathing exercises in practical yoga.
Link:
The pyschological view;
The Subtle Yet Profound Art of Breathing
Breathing intentionally can enhance your health and well-being.
Because breathing occurs automatically most people rarely think about it or consider it a skill that can be developed to enhance their cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual equilibrium.
If you know the art of breathing you have the strength, wisdom, and courage of ten tigers. ~ Chinese proverb
psychologytoday.com/us/blog … -breathing
I feel that this issue desrves more clarity.
As fas i understand about western mindset about Hinduism, the term Yoga creates all the confusion. In Hindi or Sanskrit, Yoga means Total as a noun and Adding as a verb. So basically it was reffered to that state when one meets the ultimate reality and becomes one with it. That is Yog or Total. Later the effort or process of doing this also termed as yoga. Then, people forget the main issue and stared calling merely physical exercises as yoga which is totally wrong. This practice is more popular is the west, not so much in India though spreading roots here too.
Having said that there is nothing wrong in physial yoga. It is certainly very good for heath but nothing to do with meditation or spirituality. These so called youga teachers are nothing more than a gymnastic coach or a physical trainer.
Breathing is merely an object in meditation to be focussed upon. One can use the tickling sound of clock for the same purpose and believe me, the results would be the exactly same. The real thing is focus/concentration not focussed the object.
with love
sanjay
You commanded as if you are a God of etymology.
What is critical whether I have explained the contexts it is used.
Note this thread,
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=194659
I have used the alternative term ‘well-being’ which reflect my sense of ‘spirituality’.
However, even where ‘spirituality’ is related to religions, the art of breath [e.g. pranayama] is a very critical subject. Thus the linkage of breathe to spirituality is still relevant.
Why do you need me to show evidence when in your above point you ‘seem’ to have agree to it.
If you have done sufficient research on the subject, you would have noted the benefits associated with an increased efficiency in breathing.
The above is substantiated by my own personal experiences with an improved techniques of breathing that promote improvement is general well-being, physical activities, sports, sex, etc.
How To Have Better Sex By Using Your Breath
3. Slow Down Your Breathing Before Orgasm
4. Speed Up Your Breath Before Orgasm
5. Breathe In Sync With Your Partner
bustle.com/p/how-to-have-be … th-8157825
The above is general but not refined.
In tantric one will practice a range of sophisticated breathing techniques to enhance sexual experiences and well-being.
Nah, I have never claimed that.
I am a Empirical-Rationalist, i.e. an empirical-realist.
My used of ‘spirituality’ meant ‘spirituality-well_being’ but I had used ‘spirituality’ in the shorter form as a convenience.
With the current internet age, I think many even in the West would have known the etymology of ‘Yoga’. Those who had joined ‘yoga’ classes in the West and anywhere else would also been informed of the etymological origin of the word ‘yoga’ i.e.
The Sanskrit noun योग yoga is derived from the root yuj “to attach, join, harness, yoke”.[23] The word yoga is cognate with English “yoke”.[24]
The spiritual sense of the word yoga first arises in Epic Sanskrit, in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, and is associated with the philosophical system presented in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, with the chief aim of “uniting” the human spirit with the Divine.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga
I am surprised you have given such slim attention to the Art of Breathing, i.e. pranayama.
I recommend you read Yogi Ramachakra’s The Science of Breath where ‘prana’ is critical to the physical, the psychic and the spiritual.
archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.47927
The Yogi practices exercises by which he attains control of his body, and is enabled to send to any organ or part an increased flow of vital force or “prana,” thereby strengthening and invigorating the part or organ.
As I had stated within Hinduism, Buddhism and other, there a wide range of topics and practices of breathing from kindergarten to PhD levels.
In this work we cannot go deeply into the philosophy
of the East regarding spiritual development, because this
subject would require volumes to cover it, and then again
the subject is too abstruse to interest the average reader.
There are also other reasons, well known to occultists, why
this knowledge should not be spread broadcast at this time.
Rest assured, dear student, that when the time comes for
you to take the next step, the way will be opened out before
you.
Page 69
I believe from the Hinduism perspective, in the ultimate union of the self [atman] with Brahman, this need to be supported by the most optimal breathing technique and the alignment of the prana.
I have read all that mentioned and even far far more than that. I am doing this since last 30 years of life, whithout break.
This is precisely the reason i said in the other thread that religions are like sports, and should be played in person. Litratre comes alive only then otherwise it is a dead cat. One can bend it as one wants. I have very serious doubts that anyone can teach or learn anything in these youa centres which is even remotely concerned with real sprituality.
Body cannot be control by breath, the texts are talking about something else.
with love,
sanjay
Yogi Ramachakra stated;
The Yogi practices exercises by which he attains control of his body, and is enabled to send to any organ or part an increased flow of vital force or “prana,” thereby strengthening and invigorating the part or organ.
The above and the last part implied controlling the physical part of the body.
I am not sure what you meant, he is talking about something else.
He mentioned the breathing practices are to develop the physical, the psychic and the spiritual aspect of the person.
The Spirit in man, which is the highest manifestation
of his Soul, is a drop in the ocean of Spirit, apparently
separate and distinct, but yet really in touch with the
ocean itself, and with every other drop in it. As man
unfolds in spiritual consciousness he becomes more and
more aware of his relation to the Universal Spirit, or Uni-
ersal Mind as some term it. He feels at times as if he
were almost at-one-ment with it, and then again he loses
the sense of contact and relationship. The Yogis seek
to attain this state of Universal Consciousness by medita-
tion and rhythmic breathing, and many have thus attained
the highest degree of spiritual attainment possible to man
in this stage of his existence.
Page 72
Btw, I do not agree with everything stated by Yogi Ramachakra in the book, but merely to prove that the breathing in Hinduism is not limited to counting breathe and helping in meditation as you had claimed earlier.
It’s more… getting used to than starting to enjoy, but yeah… I think I’ve gotten used to being back on the other side of the forum quiet quickly, and I haven’t been tempted to chastise anyone, or go the opposite way and become a posting-pain myself.
I chose the word dire, to reflect the dire situation, that I found myself in… there is no better descriptor for it, than dire.
The sensations that being in a dire situation, manifested, were numerous and intense… but not obsessive, but were hurdles and challenges to be gotten over… hopefully never to be faced again. 
Spirituality and religion should be mutually exclusive… in my eyes, perhaps the two were made not so/exclusive, when humans gained the capacity for grand manipulation.
My experience tells me otherwise… harmony of the self, is the ideal, but is not necessary to still thrive, as it’s a place of stagnation rather than hinderance.
Prism’s suggested breathing technique is what divers do to prolong the capacity of their lungs and therefore their breathing… I took a few lessons off a friend some years back and remembered being taught that technique, then… it is a breathing exercise… nothing more.
When my muscles become tired/have had enough for the day, my back muscles grow heavy and start to weigh-down on my lungs, compressing the air out if them… causing lung capacity diminishment… its simple Science.
What I have suggested is very basic. It is basic towards increasing the time one can hold one’s breath for general well-being.
There are other considerations to it to improve one’s spiritual well-being.
The breathing exercises for divers are more sophisticated than the above with increasing complex sets of exercises where free-divers can hold their breath up to 7 minutes or longer. Their objective is to dive as deep as possible and that is not for spiritual well-being.
How will it manifest, that one’s spiritual well-being has improved? what would be the indicator that this has occurred…
Well… don’t divers get some sort of benefit from the longevity of withholding their breathing? spiritual or otherwise, apart from not drowning after a minute or two… like the rest of us would.
I shall try the exercise today… I have already been breathing more conscientiously… in anticipation of my feat ahead, so it will be interesting to note how long my first endeavour will be.
Not so dire these days, but mindful.
How do you, Arc, maintain your spiritual well-being?
Good breathing is the baseline for one spiritual well-being. It is the fundamental and foundation to all aspects of spiritual well-being.
Note the typical advice when one is angry and how to manage one’s anger, i.e. take a few deep breath.
Controlled Deep Breathing and Muscle Relaxation
Your breathing rate and heart rate both increase when you become emotionally aroused. You can learn to reverse these increases by deliberately slowing your breathing and/or systematically relaxing your tense muscles. Relaxing in this manner will help you to maintain control.
You may find yourself breathing quick, shallow breaths when you are upset. Allowing this shallow chest-only breathing to continue will only exacerbate your anger. Instead, take action to redirect your breathing and relax your muscles so that you will calm down. Set aside at least 15 minutes in which to do this exercise. Less time than this will not likely be beneficial!
Thus if one have managed one breathing efficiently, one will be able to control any surge of whatever emotional impulses.
There are many other benefits from higher breath control, e.g. increasing one immunity and this can be measured objectively.
If divers do not get involved in other act that are negative to one’s well being, then the divers status of spiritual well-being will be better than those who are not doing the diver’s breathing exercise. Note this;
If you ask most divers what the health benefits of scuba diving are they will probably tell you they’re not sure but that “it makes me feel great – and it’s so relaxing!” So, we thought you might like to know why.
wickeddiving.com/health-benefits-of-diving/
Top 10 Health Benefits of Freediving
healthfitnessrevolution.com … reediving/
The main purpose of the diver is to increase the time they can hold their breath underwater but they many not direct their breath management to other areas of spiritual exercises, which require specific exercise and visualizations.
This are the basic benefits;
The benefits of dirgha pranayama include:
Calms the mind and body, reducing stress and anxiety
Promotes full and complete breathing
Increases oxygen supply to the blood
Helps keep the lungs healthy
Releases muscular tension
Prepares for deeper meditation
doyouyoga.com/an-introducti … ic-breath/
If you research further, you will read of yogis who can performed super feats upon their higher achievement with pranayama.
The near-superhuman way yoga unites mind and body
edition.cnn.com/2016/10/05/heal … index.html
In the spring of 1970, the Indian yogi Swami Rama wanted to convince Western scientists of the power of yoga, so he submitted himself for study. He arrived at the lab of the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, to meet with Dr. Elmer Green, who pioneered research around biofeedback, or the process of becoming increasingly aware of bodily functions that are usually thought of as involuntary. Rigged up with sensors, on his first day at the clinic, he reportedly changed the temperature of his hand by widening and contracting the arteries in his wrist, leading to a difference of ten degrees Fahrenheit between the left side of his palm – which looked rosy red – and the right, which looked ashen gray, as Dr. Timothy McCall notes in his Yoga As Medicine.
There are many other verified achievements by yogi who has mastered the art of breathing.
Breathing is fundamental to spiritual well-being.
The next very critical element of spiritual well-being is nutrition, food, and the likes.
I am in the midst of water-fasting at present and good breathing methods help to deal with the hunger pangs.
I am not recommending this but merely to show the variations in breathing techniques.
Use This Breathing Exercise To Activate The DMT Stored In Your GUT!
youtube.com/watch?v=WNRbYxlGFts
DMT is The Spirit Molecule,
youtube.com/watch?v=fwZqVqbkyLM