I’ve just finished this short book – 53 pages and what a fascinating little book it is. Originally written in 1903 by William Atkinson (who I discovered wrote under several Eastern sounding pseudonyms which in itself must have some great stories behind it, more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_Atkinson) it was a very interesting text around how we breathe, how this is taught by Yogi’s. I’m not entirely sure how I came across the book – I was probably just searching for Science of Breath, which took me down a rabbit hole and this was one of the outcomes I (gladly) stumbled across.
From the very beginning the book held my attention, with a brief breakdown of how the author believed the word “Yogi” came into existence. The Sanskrit Yug means to join and the author goes on to state that Yogi’s were:
“Men who devoted their time and attention to the development of Man, physically, mentally and spiritually. . . the Yogi undoubtedly gets into harness in his work of controlling the body and mind by the Will.”
From here the book is introduced as something that looks at how the breath (or Science of Breath) was then used to help support the three pillars above.
What then follows in the next 14 pages is a physiological breakdown of how our respiratory system works and a clear separation of oxygen from Prana. Both being key parts of how humans function. I particularly liked the short chapter on the nervous system, especially the description of the solar plexus (the area in our stomach) and a clear recognition of the “Abdominal Brain” supported by a large grouping of nerve cells. This gut / brain axis something I see is definitely key to us all and something the author sees as: “Western science seems to be moving gradually towards a recognition of this fact, which has been known to Yogis of the East for centuries” I wonder what had led the author to see this as a change – as this something that seems to still be pretty absent in most peoples overly focussed brain centric view of how we function.
The next chapter leaves the reader in no doubt as to which method of breathing the author favours – nose over mouth. He also makes the claim that there was an outbreak of small pox on a naval ship whereby: “every death which resulted was that of some sailor or marine who was a mouth-breather, not a single nostril-breather succumbing”. Whilst I need no convincing of the benefits of nose breathing I’ve pretty skeptical of such a bold claim that I’m not entirely sure how you’d prove.
Chapter 7 explains the different way that we breathe (High, mid, low) and the Yogi complete breath that utilises the best elements of each. The rest of the book is then a series of exercises with how to carry out the breath practice and the intended benefits. There are some especially interesting ones around healing yourself, others and from a distance which focus on the idea of moving Prana and vibrations – all of which reminded me of Joe Dispenza’s You Are The Placebo concepts that he discusses.
All told I found some useful bits, some strange esoteric parts, some elements that more functional medicine turns to now (he does seem well ahead of his time). I have / am considering how you could run a series of workshops to teach a variety of breath techniques discussed for people to see what they do/ don’t like. It definitely feels quite far sighted and a helpful addition to the breathing books library.
BreatheToMove 