Foundations of Breath I - Breathing as the Primary Circulatory Mechanism
SOF Weekly Newsletter, 24 July 2022
Firstly: I want to remind you of what this is all about, my whole project.
The primacy of the self-overcoming or brain or mind changed, willed. The reason this is necessary? We have bad habits of body and mind. I have explained why I think this is, but really, it doesn't matter. It is what it is: and there are tools to fix what it is.
There are no moral claims here; I am primarily amoral (but amoral with integrity - thank you, Mobius). No religious claims, no calls to any particular action.
This is an actual physical change with tangible benefits. You should always demand results. In this vein, I'm pleased to present the next couple of newsletters, which I believe will offer profound changes - again - to those that choose to work ahead of the all too human trait of daydreaming and blabbering—those who decide to apply effort over the inherent laziness of speech. Speech according to the latest gross, pathetic obsessions, ahem sorry - issues - of the species.
In my previous book, reinstating Hara, I argue that reinstating a specific physiological posturing unconsciously maximises the balance of the autonomic nervous system. (That book is incomplete, and several sub-sections remain under construction, of which the following is part). To start, the following is a detailed reconstruction of how we view breathing, showing that breathing is not merely a function serving gaseous exchange; instead, breathing with the diaphragm as the fulcrum instructs the efficiency of the entirety of arterial flow and the regulation of the state of our organism. One could argue that circulatory health problems, which are all too common nowadays, are not dietary. They are, in fact, outcomes of poor breathing practices and venous integrity and regulation.
In short, when we breathe with the right rhythm and depth, we optimise venous flow in several ways. Firstly, the quantity of blood that passes through the heart on inhalation and exhalation are equal through the right and left-hand sides of the heart, respectively. Secondly, the motion of the diaphragm itself influences thoracic pressure, which in turn affects the variation and, importantly, volume of blood flow throughout the body.
When this pump is well balanced and active, and the diaphragm has been trained with a good range of motion, becoming a subconscious habit, more significant amounts of blood are recruited from the so-called "venous tree". This fills the veins and capillaries of the lungs on each inhale. The amount of blood recruited depends on diaphragmatic movement or the depth of breath. This blood in the venous tree is immediately replaced by blood flowing from the pervasive capillary membrane during exhalation.
My recent experiments with a GSR sensor (data published over the next few weeks) have shown me that the nervous system is excitable according to different rhythms and depths of breath. So it makes sense that through whatever mechanism, the wave of blood exchange is the foundation also of mental regulation or the feeling of what is happening.
It has been well established throughout the literature that rapid, shallow breath leads to autonomic chaos and noise. The measurement I obtained in excited states (which I took during work, particularly during a stressful situation I connected myself up) led to a measure of very, very high excitability.
Several studies outline sympathetic dominance with specific brain states but also body states. You can notice yourself if you can take a step back; tense muscles, sweating, rapid heart rate. Notice the language patterns that come up during these states. The temptation to "lash out".
When we optimise the venous wave throughout the circulatory system, we see the opposite effect. We can infer, therefore, that all 'electrical systems' in the brain, for example, are reflected in our subjective mental states. This could explain why many forms of Buddhist meditation involved breathing - and the optimisation of the venous return - as foundational activities, since without it, the brain is a scrambled mess no matter what you do.
In summary, breathing is not only a gaseous exchange function but a pressure exchange function of the circulatory system. The body is a game of 4D chess, and you can skin why this is important and how this influences critical functions in the body in thousands of different ways. This is because it exists as a prime regulator of our conscious experience, so its venous tentacles extend influence everywhere, in every way...
I stake the following claims:
If this" pump" is not working, forget about anything else you're doing.
Breathing is vital in living consciously and purposefully instead of in a state of fantasy and daydreams.
The brain's state influences the brain's linguistic function, what is "blurted out" (after the fact), and that is downstream of the efficiency of the breath and venous return.
Conscious action in the real world > living in a fantasy state, whatever the nature of that is.
Fantasy states are weaponised or given super-physiological doses of tren on social media.
If you want to break this and progress in spiritual practice or simply life - this requires some semblance of personality or habit change - breath is the answer.
Breathing is living well. No words or theories can cure you.
Experiment:
Next time you log on to Twitter to own the libs, and read a few posts, take stock of your breathing and general sensations in the body. What does it tell you about the nature of this experience? How does this compare to other situations in life? What does it tell you about living well, consciously, with distractions like this?
Is it true that you’re akshually owning yourself? Mostly? To what degree is this true?
Form a physical perspective - what are you akshually doing?
I'll offer a hint - you're inducing a sub-optimal body state habitually, interacting with other sub-optimal habitual body states, to argue over something that doesn't matter or exist tangibly.
And you're teaching your body to interact with the environment in this way.
I look forward to presenting some data next week on my autonomic reactions to various types of breathing. I've tried many styles, with some exciting results.
By the way - I'm back on twatter to publish my materials, including video. Links to all my work can be found there.
@harasupremacist
Until then, I bid you pleasant fantasies for the coming week.
- A