Karpel Tunnel wrote:I think the OP would be better if there was some kind of argument.
It's fine that it's speculative, but why do you correlate breath holding with spirituality, spirituality having to do with spirit, that is non-material entities, processes, etc. I could come up with my own reasons, and certainly some religions and spiritualities focus on the breath, but why do you think there should be correlation?spirituality
/spɪrɪtʃʊˈalɪti,spɪrɪtjʊˈalɪti/
noun
the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
"the shift in priorities allows us to embrace our spirituality in a more profound way"/ˈspɪrɪt/Skicka
noun
1. the non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.
"we seek a harmony between body and spirit"
synonymer: soul, psyche, inner self, inner being, essential being; Mer
Of course some people think that materialists can have a spirituality, but I think this is a poor word choice. They can have values, a philosophy, an outlook on life...etc. But spirituality is based on things not considered real by the materialist, and other words serve the purpose perfectely.
The dictionary meaning is too crude. However note the origin;
Origin
Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from Latin spiritus ‘breath, spirit’, from spirare ‘breathe’.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spirit
In a more refine philosophical consideration, note here is where 'spirit' correlates with 'breath.'
Wiki wrote:The English word "spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus,but also "spirit, soul, courage, vigor", ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *(s)peis. It is distinguished from Latin anima, "soul" (which nonetheless also derives from an Indo-European root meaning "to breathe", earliest form *h2enh1-).[4]
In Greek, this distinction exists between pneuma (πνεῦμα), "breath, motile air, spirit," and psykhē (ψυχή), "soul"[1] (even though the latter term, ψῡχή = psykhē/psūkhē, is also from an Indo-European root meaning "to breathe": *bhes-, zero grade *bhs- devoicing in proto-Greek to *phs-, resulting in historical-period Greek ps- in psūkhein, "to breathe", whence psūkhē, "spirit", "soul").[5]
The word "spirit" came into Middle English via Old French. The distinction between soul and spirit also developed in the Abrahamic religions: Arabic nafs (نفس) opposite rūħ (روح); Hebrew neshama (נְשָׁמָה nəšâmâh) or nephesh נֶ֫פֶשׁ nép̄eš (in Hebrew neshama comes from the root NŠM or "breath") opposite ruach (רוּחַ rúaħ).
(Note, however, that in Semitic just as in Indo-European, this dichotomy has not always been as neat historically as it has come to be taken over a long period of development: Both נֶ֫פֶשׁ (root נפשׁ) and רוּחַ (root רוח), as well as cognate words in various Semitic languages, including Arabic, also preserve meanings involving misc. air phenomena: "breath", "wind", and even "odour").
It is noted the word 'spirituality' is a VERY loose term. However it is a term I find to be suited to what I intended to convey from the secular perspective, i.e.
Modern spirituality is centered on the "deepest values and meanings by which people live."[96] It embraces the idea of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality.[97] It envisions an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being.
Not all modern notions of spirituality embrace transcendental ideas. Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic ideas on moral character (qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others).[98]:22 These are aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual ... cteristics
"Spirituality" [as defined above] is an emergent that is synergistic from the total human self in interaction with its environment and others that is difficult to be reduced to the physical or material.
In physics, a physical body or physical object (or simply a body or object) is an identifiable collection of matter, which may be constrained by an identifiable boundary, and may move as a unit by translation or rotation, in 3-dimensional space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_body
Since 'breath' correlates with 'Spirit'
therefore the effectiveness of one's breath correlates to one's level of spirituality [secular].
One basic objective measurement of 'spirituality' [secular] is the normal breath retention period. The other is the Maximum breath retention period.
How to measure? see here;
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=194655&p=2717318#p2717318