SCIENCE OF BREATH/PART 3
CHAPTER
III.
THE
EXOTERIC THEORY OF BREATH.
In
this chapter we will give you briefly the theories of the Western scientific
world regarding the functions of the respiratory organs, and the part in the
human economy played by the breath. In subsequent chapters we will give the
additional theories and ascertained facts of the Oriental school of thought and
research. The Oriental accepts the theories and facts of his Western brothers
(which have been known to him for centuries) and adds thereto much that the
latter do not now accept, but which they will in due time "discover" and
which, after renaming, they will present to the world as a great truth.
Before
taking up the Western idea, it will perhaps be better to give a hasty general
idea of the Organs of Respiration.
The
Organs of Respiration consist of the lungs and the air passages leading to
them. The lungs are two in number, and occupy the pleural chamber of the
thorax, one en each side of the median line, being separated from each other by
the heart, the greater blood vessels and the larger air tubes. Each lung is
free in all directions, except at the root, which consists chiefly of the
bronchi, arteries and veins connecting the lungs with the trachea and heart.
The lungs are spongy and porous, and their tissues are very elastic. They are
covered with a delicately constructed but strong sac, known as the pleural sac,
one wall of which closely adheres to the lung, and the other to the inner wall
of the chest, and which secretes a fluid which allows the inner surfaces of the
walls to glide easily upon each other in the act of breathing.
The
Air Passages consist of the interior of the nose, pharynx, larynx, windpipe or
trachea, and the bronchial tubes. When we breathe, we draw in the air through
the nose, in which it is warmed by contact with the mucous membrane, which is
richly supplied with blood, and after it has passed through the pharynx and
larynx it passes into the trachea or windpipe, which subdivides into numerous
tubes called the bronchial tubes (bronchia), which in turn subdivide into and
terminate in minute subdivisions in all the small air spaces in the lungs, of
which the lungs contain millions. A writer has stated that if the air cells of
the lungs were spread out over an unbroken surface, they would cover an area of
fourteen thousand square feet.
The
air is drawn into the lungs by the action of the diaphragm, a great, strong,
flat, sheet-like muscle, stretched across the chest, separating the chest-box
from the abdomen. The diaphragm's action is almost as automatic as that of the
heart, although it may be transformed into a semi-voluntary muscle by an effort
of the will. When it expands, it increases the size of the chest and lungs, and
the air rushes into the vacuum thus created. When it relaxes the chest and
lungs contract and the air is expelled from the lungs.
Now,
before considering what happens to the air in the lungs, let us look a little
into the matter of the circulation of the blood. The blood, as you know, is
driven by the heart, through the arteries, into the capillaries, thus reaching
every part of the body, which it vitalizes, nourishes and strengthens. It then
returns by means of the capillaries by another route, the veins, to the heart,
from whence it is drawn to the lungs.
The
blood starts on its arterial journey, bright red and rich, laden with life-giving
qualities and properties. It returns by the venous route, poor, blue and dull,
being laden down with the waste matter of the system. It goes out like a fresh
stream from the mountains; it returns as a stream of sewer water. This foul
stream goes to the right auricle of the heart. When this auricle becomes
filled, it contracts and forces the stream of blood through an opening in the
right ventricle of the heart, which in turn sends it on to the lungs, where it
is distributed by millions of hair-like blood vessels to the air cells of the
lungs, of which we have spoken. Now, let us take up the story of the lungs at
this point.
The
foul stream of blood is now distributed among the millions of tiny air cells in
the lungs. A breath of air is inhaled and the oxygen of the air comes in
contact with the impure blood through the thin walls of the hair-like blood
vessels of the lungs, which walls are thick enough to hold the blood, but thin
enough to admit the oxygen to penetrate them. When the oxygen comes in contact
with the blood, a form of combustion takes place, and the blood takes up oxygen
and releases carbonic acid gas generated from the waste products and poisonous
matter which has been gathered up by the blood from all parts of the system.
The
blood thus purified and oxygenated is carried back to the heart, again rich,
red and bright, and laden with life-giving properties and qualities. Upon
reaching the left auricle of the heart, it is forced into the left ventricle,
from whence it is again forced out through the arteries on its mission of life
to all parts of the system. It is estimated that in a single day of twenty-four
hours, 35,000 pints of blood traverse the capillaries of the lungs, the blood
corpuscles passing in single file and being exposed to the oxygen of the air on
both of their surfaces. When one considers the minute details of the process
alluded to, he is lost in wonder and admiration at Nature's infinite care and
intelligence.
It
will be seen that unless fresh air in sufficient quantities reaches the lungs,
the foul stream of venous blood cannot be purified, and consequently not only
is the body thus robbed of nourishment, but the waste products which should
have been destroyed are returned to the circulation and poison the system, and
death ensues. Impure air acts in the same way, only in a lessened degree. It
will also be seen that if one does not breathe in a sufficient quantity of air,
the work of the blood cannot go on properly, and the result is that the body is
insufficiently nourished and disease ensues, or a state of imperfect health is
experienced. The blood of one who breathes improperly is, of course, of a
bluish, dark color, lacking the rich redness of pure arterial blood. This often
shows itself in a poor complexion. Proper breathing, and a consequent good
circulation, results in a clear, bright complexion.
A
little reflection will show the vital importance of correct breathing. If the
blood is not fully purified by the regenerative process of the lungs, it returns
to the arteries in an abnormal state, insufficiently purified and imperfectly
cleansed of the impurities which it took up on its return journey. These
impurities if returned to the system will certainly manifest in some form of
disease, either in a form of blood disease or some disease resulting from
impaired functioning of some insufficiently nourished organ or tissue.
The
blood, when properly exposed to the air in the lungs, not only has its
impurities consumed, and parts with its noxious carbonic acid gas, but it also
takes up and absorbs a certain quantity of oxygen which it carries to all parts
of the body, where it is needed in order that Nature may perform her processes
properly. When the oxygen comes in contact with the blood, it unites with the
hemoglobin of the blood and is carried to every cell, tissue, muscle and organ,
which it invigorates and strengthens, replacing the worn out cells and tissue
by new materials which Nature converts to her use. Arterial blood, properly
exposed to the air, contains about 25 per cent of free oxygen.
Not
only is every part vitalized by the oxygen, but the act of digestion depends
materially upon a certain amount of oxygenation of the food, and this can be
accomplished only by the oxygen in the blood coming in contact with the food
and producing a certain form of combustion. It is therefore necessary that a
proper supply of oxygen be taken through the lungs. This accounts for the fact
that weak lungs and poor digestion are so often found together. To grasp the full
significance of this statement, one must remember that the entire body receives
nourishment from the food assimilated, and that imperfect assimilation always
means an imperfectly nourished body. Even the lungs themselves depend upon the
same source for nourishment, and if through imperfect breathing the
assimilation becomes imperfect, and the lungs in turn become weakened, they are
rendered still less able to perform their work properly, and so in turn the
body becomes further weakened. Every particle of food and drink must be
oxygenated before it can yield us the proper nourishment, and before the waste
products of the system can be reduced to the proper condition to be eliminated
from the system. Lack of sufficient oxygen means Imperfect nutrition, Imperfect
elimination and imperfect health. Verily, "breath is life."
The
combustion arising from the change in the waste products generates heat and
equalizes the temperature of the body. Good breathers are not apt to "take
cold," and they generally have plenty of good warm blood which enables
them to resist the changes in the outer temperature.
In
addition to the above-mentioned important processes the act of breathing gives
exercise to the internal organs and muscles, which feature is generally
overlooked by the Western writers on the subject, but which the Yogis fully
appreciate.
In
imperfect or shallow breathing, only a portion of the lung cells are brought
into play, and a great portion of the lung capacity is lost, the system
suffering in proportion to the amount of under-oxygenation. The lower animals,
in their native state, breathe naturally, and primitive man undoubtedly did the
same. The abnormal manner of living adopted by civilized man—the shadow that
follows upon civilization—has robbed us of our natural habit of breathing, and
the race has greatly suffered thereby. Man's only physical salvation is to
"get back to Nature."
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