BREATHING IS LIFE - an article from a great master

Journey To Greece and Within
August 28th, 2010
By Frank Iborra, DOM, Dipl. Ac.

For the better part of July, Ray Garner and I participated in the highly anticipated Taoist Longevity Breathing Instructor training taught by lineage master, Bruce Frantzis. Traveling to the island of Crete, located off the southern coast of Greece, was an exhausting two day journey. This was my first time in that part of the world and while the journey in itself was fascinating, the island, which is several hundred miles long east to west, possessed a unique beauty. The terrain was mountainous, rocky with clay beds, narrow roads with hair pin turns and steep drops; much in contrast to the flat land and scenery of south Florida. Night driving presented an additional challenge along with communication since there were no public phones or internet access and the Greek alphabet on road signs was hard to decipher, although Ray fared better than I.

The people who could be friendly, warm, helpful and open or quite uninviting, were overall as deeply rooted to the earth as I’ve ever seen. All of this along with extraordinarily beautiful beaches, olive tree groves, bleating sheep, goats and a blanket of more stars than I’ve ever experienced made for a memorable journey, not to mention the intense training.

I’ve been asked, why travel so far just to learn something about breathing? In our culture, not much attention is paid to breathing or the consequences of chronic shallow breathing. Whole body breathing is a difficult concept for most to relate to, but this is where the deeper journey begins and the inner revolution of personal development unfolds. Breath is the original spark of physical life and the last ember when we withdraw from physical life. It’s also that which bridges the connection between our inner and outer world.

The Taoist holistic arts system includes a way to bring mind and body back into an integrated whole and to experience and think of mind and body energies in grosser and subtler ways. Breath awareness becomes the gateway for this to happen. At the retreat we explored three areas or layers of the breathing process. First was simply the mechanical aspect of breathing and integration. Second was breath’s connection to fluids and blood and third was the direct connection to Qi breathing which is a world apart from breathing just air.

As babies we enter this world breathing deep and into the belly. This is known as belly breathing or whole body breathing. As we age and our intellect develops, we tend to become more cerebral. The effect of this exclusive attention to the outside world is to raise our breath higher in the body and the breath becomes superficial. The surrounding tissue, which was originally nourished through whole body breathing as babies, starts to function less efficiently. The capacity of the breath to nourish organs, glands, soft tissue, blood vessels, fluids and the brain begins to diminish and this results in imbalances, disease and aging.

There are a number of differences between Longevity breathing and what I’ve seen for the last several decades in other traditions. The most important, in my opinion, is the direct connection of breath to the neurological system, fluids in general and blood in particular. In the Taoist Longevity Breathing practice, one learns to awaken the potential parts of the breathing mechanism and create synchronicity and coherence within the mind, breath and body tissue continuum. Vitality, general health and inner awareness begin to increase in previously dormant areas of the body. The reality of feeling tissue is difficult and something we have all become insensitive to, but as skill develops, you gain greater confidence and clarity about what is actually going on inside.

This process of breathing will be taught in all the classes at White Crane as an integrated component, in general and as a more specific and detailed practice in the 10 week Taoist Longevity Breathing class and the 10 week Longevity breathing Taoist Yoga class beginning in September.

This breathing practice has not been taught often in the west and is a rare opportunity. No experience is necessary and everyone is invited to learn, enjoy and become explorers of the inner realm.

New Class!
Living With The Present – Longevity Breathing
Breath awareness is fundamental to increasing our ability to feel inside and increase efficiency of our internal systems. In this class, we will bring to our awareness all the potential physical mechanics of breath until they are consistently engaged and integrated, as well as progressively lengthened. Ancient Taoists observed that this quality of breath could be sustained while doing practices, chores or any activity. As this skill is developed and practiced throughout the day, it can lead to profound, life altering shifts within one’s being.

In a world dominated by computers and evermore techno inventions, we find ourselves constantly “on”. The thinking process goes into overdrive and affects the body’s delicate nervous system which can result in destroying the potential for living a healthy and whole life. Wisdom that comes from the ancient Taoist culture tells us that being deeply quiet in the midst of disorder or chaos can reveal the nature of healing for mind and body. This energetic space allows us to breath and experience freedom.

Remaining present to one’s experience creates the environment and opportunity
for true healing to occur.

Taoist Longevity Breathing – Dissolving – Presence
The interplay of these energies will be explored

10 Week Session (Sept. 9th. – Nov. 11th.)
Classes are structured to allow those unable to attend all 10 weeks
to benefit by attending the ones they could
$10.00 a class

Thursday 6:30-7:45

This class is for everyone, especially those with chronic illness and injuries. Individual problems will be addressed when possible. Instruction will be given on how to use this process specifically for deep healing. No Experience Necessary

White Crane Healing Arts Center
7071 W. Commercial Bvd. 2C, Tamarac, FL 33319
954.721.7252

Yoga is not a workout!

After hearing about thousand times that yoga is not really a workout, I feel compelled to write about it, pushed and urged to agree with the statement. Yoga is not a workout! And it's not supposed to be. Actually, if yoga was a person it would probably be proud of not being a workout! The reality is yoga is a much more complex subject, a life path that involves not only the body (the one that works out) but also the mind, the soul and the connection between all of them. To call yoga a workout would be offensive, to say the least. If you're looking for a great body, yoga will do that for you. If your goal is to learn the secrets of your own mind and to be able to tame the stress, anxiety and other mental disturbances that are rapidly  becoming part of our modern life,  yoga will do that for you. If you want to open the doorway that takes you inside, where you find your real you, free from culture, ego, life pressures and expectations, free at last, yoga will do that for you as well. As I like to joke, yoga works like a microwave, from inside out. So, if you practice yoga you're truly beautiful, complete and connected. Happy from inside out because you know what you're made of, you know the structures, the walls and the paint of this beautiful building called you.
Although yoga has been around for thousands of years on the East side of the world, us westerners have just recently discovered its benefits and our only mistake consists in paying attention solely on the physical changes this ancient art can provide. On the West, we do not pay enough attention to the real yoga, the teachings that will change your life no matter your age, skin color, body type or religious beliefs. Yoga is simply about respect, knowing that we are one with everyone around us and one with the universe. Union, that is. The union that starts with your body, your mind and your soul.
So, if you're looking for a work out, stay away from yoga. Yoga really is a work in!

See you on the mat.
Namaste,
Paty