Deep Breathing Benefits for the Blood, Oxygen & Qi

My latest book is the result of more than four decades of study, practice, healing, teaching, and reflection. It has been shaped through a lifetime of learning, from the grind of physical training to the quiet revelations of stillness. I’ve experienced injury and recovery, frustration and discovery, disillusionment and renewal. I’ve worked with athletes and seniors, martial artists and skeptics, students in pain and seekers of peace. And in all of this, I’ve come to a clear and powerful truth: how we breathe determines how we live.

Breath is our most intimate connection to life. It is the first thing we do when we are born and the last act of the physical body before death. In between, we take tens of thousands of breaths each day yet few of us are ever taught how to breathe well. Breath is assumed, automatic, and too often ignored until it becomes impaired. But for those who learn to pay attention, the breath is also a teacher, a tool, and a gateway to better health, greater awareness, and inner strength.

From physiology to philosophy, Eastern medicine to Western science, every tradition I’ve explored acknowledges the power of breath. What this book offers is a bridge between those worlds. It is not just a technical manual or a philosophical essay, it is a lived map. It charts what I’ve seen work, what I’ve tested, and what I’ve returned to again and again, both for myself and my students.

This book is also a response to a culture that too often seeks complex fixes while ignoring the fundamentals. We have machines that track every heartbeat, yet people feel exhausted. Medications suppress symptoms but rarely resolve the cause. In contrast, breathing with awareness costs nothing, requires no equipment, and is available to you at any moment. It can regulate blood pressure, balance hormones, release chronic tension, improve digestion, enhance mental clarity, and restore emotional balance. It can return you to yourself.

Whether you’re new to breathwork or a seasoned practitioner, this book is designed to meet you where you are. It begins with the body, your physiology and posture, then moves through traditional practices, energetic systems, and meditative tools. By the end, you’ll understand not just how to breathe better, but why doing so changes everything.

My hope in writing this is not just to inform, but to awaken, to stir in you a sense of curiosity, empowerment, and agency. You do not need to be a guru, athlete, or mystic to reclaim your breath. You only need to begin. Each chapter in this book is an invitation to return to that beginning again, more skillfully each time.

Wind and Water, Makes Fire

The human mind and body are integral parts of nature, constantly interacting with its energies. There is a direct correlation between the systems of nature and those of the body, with three key elements of wind, fire, and water, serving as points of connection.

Wind corresponds to the respiratory system, as the air we breathe sustains life.
Fire represents body temperature, which plays a vital role in all physiological functions.
Water relates to the circulatory system, essential for vitality and well-being.

Practices such as Tai Chi, Qigong, and Bagua Zhang profoundly influence the body, impacting the organs, joints, and muscles at a deep level. In Taoist alchemy, the philosophical phrase “wind and water make fire” metaphorically represents the dynamic interactions of the Five Elements (Wu Xing) and the internal processes of self-cultivation.

Here’s a breakdown of how this concept fits into Taoist thought:

Five Elements Correspondence:
- Wind (Feng, 风) is often associated with Wood (Mu, 木), which represents growth, movement, and expansion.
- Water (Shui, 水) corresponds to the Kidneys and the essence (Jing), which serves as the foundation for transformation.
- Fire (Huo, 火) corresponds to Yang energy, warmth, and spirit (Shen).
- The idea is that the interaction of movement (Wind/Wood) and nourishment (Water) can generate Fire (Yang energy, transformation).
Neidan (Internal Alchemy) Interpretation:
- Wind (Wood) and Water represent Qi and Jing, respectively.
- Their controlled interaction through breathwork, meditation, and energy circulation can generate the internal “alchemy fire” needed to refine essence into Qi and Qi into Shen.
- This fire is not literal but the internal warmth and energetic transformation that happens in deep meditation or Qigong.
Martial & Qigong Perspective:
- In advanced Qigong and martial arts, regulated breath (Wind) and internal fluid movement (Water) manifest into internal heat (Fire), leading to refined power and vitality.
- This aligns with practices of Tai Chi, Qigong and BaguaZhang, where breath, body movement, and mind-intent cultivate the internal fire for vitality and martial efficiency.

I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, physical fitness, stress management, human behavior, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage (acupressure), Daoyin (yoga), qigong, tai chi, and baguazhang.

Please contact me if you, your business, organization, or group, might be interested in hosting me to speak on a wide spectrum of topics relative to better health, fitness, and well-being.

I look forward to further sharing more of my message by partnering with hospitals, wellness centers, VA centers, schools on all levels, businesses, and individuals who see the value in building a stronger nation through building a healthier population.

I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures, and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Many of my publications can be found on Amazon at:

http://www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

My holistic health blog is available at:

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Tibetan Meditation – basics

Tibetan medicine seeks to draw attention to the relationship in balancing aspects of the mind, body, and behavior. Meditation is an integral component within Tibetan medicine. Through practices of Tibetan meditation, the practitioner seeks to probe the nature of reality. There is an emphasis to tame the incessant inner dialogue of our thoughts, which is constantly shifting to the barrage of sensory input. This inner dialogue is often referred to as the “monkey mind”. Through these meditation methods one can transform the mind into a conduit to create better health and happiness (University of Minnesota, 2020).

The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to reach nirvana or spiritual enlightenment where there is an absence of suffering or realization of the self and its relation to the universe. Nirvana translates to “cessation”, as in removing suffering and its undesired effects of drama, manipulation, aggression, struggle, etc. Practice of Tibetan meditation is a means that can lead to this goal.

Within Buddhism is the concept of The Four Noble Truths, which are relative to the meditation practices. These truths would be:

Life is painful and frustrating. Everyone experiences painful and frustrating moments.

Suffering has a cause. The cause comes from our attachment to what we know and is familiar.

The cause of suffering can be ended by releasing expectations and attachments. Attachment based on fear of loss and fear of being alone and separate, are the causes of suffering.

Meditation, or the practice of mindfulness and awareness, is the way to end suffering

We can stop dwelling in the past by being focused on the current moment. Keeping these concepts at the forefront of our thoughts, will help with detachment and concentration, and lead to mastery of the mind (Yugay, 2018).

Sitting while meditating is a major component of Tibetan Meditation, I think it is important to note that these practices are more of a lifestyle where these truths are experienced and addressed throughout the whole day, every day, for the practitioner and not just something to ponder once in a while when it is convenient.

I found some information about the Dalai Lama that I found quite interesting. The Dalai Lama actually has his own website! Amazing how he has embraced modern technologies to further spread his teachings of awareness of compassion, suffering and other aspects of Buddhism and Tibetan Meditation. The Dalia Lama is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism. His meditation schedule is a large portion of his daily routine, being quite intense compared to most people who meditate. He starts his days with a few hours of prayers, meditations, and prostrations. After breakfast, he spends another three hours on meditation and prayer. After his 5 p.m. tea, the Dalai Lama concludes his day with another two more hours of meditation and then finishes with his evening prayers. Every day he spends about seven hours a day on mindfulness. He shares that even if you only commit five minutes a day to meditation, one can still gain the benefits of slowing aging, sharpening the mind, and reducing stress.

Be well!

References:

6 Tips for Longevity From the Dalai Lama | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)Links to an external site.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama | The 14th Dalai Lama

University of Minnesota. (2020, May). How Can I Practice Tibetan Meditation? https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-can-i-practice-tibetan-meditationLinks to an external site.

Yugay, I. (2018, January 19). The Secret To Enlightenment With Buddhist Meditation. Mindvalley. https://blog.mindvalley.com/buddhist-meditation/Links to an external site.

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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lectures about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga.

For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

Singing Bowls Meditation

A singing bowl or standing bell, are mostly crystal or metal alloy bowls where, by rubbing a mallet around the bowl’s outer rim and edges produce sounds. Singing bowls and sometimes gongs, surround the user with tones that offer the goal of relaxation by decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression. These sounds offer an escape from the everyday incessant inner dialogue or chatter of thoughts within one’s mind. Singing bowl techniques can be very mind engaging, similarly to meditation practices and yoga, and are often practiced in tandem.

Standing bells historically were a bowl or gong and struck with a wooden or felted mallet. Use goes back thousands of years, with origins in China and Mongolia. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries used the bowls in this manner to keep time or to signal the end of a meditation.

Theories regarding sound bowls claim that specific sounds can calm the mind by entraining the brain’s electrical impulses to mimic those found while in states of deep concentration, meditation, or relaxation. Theta waves are present when one is in deep concentration or meditation. From listening to singing bowls, one can guide their mind towards theta brain wave activity.

Click on the link to begin a “A Sound Meditation with Quartz Crystal Bowls”.

Once I started the audio file, I took a moment or two to take in the sounds I was hearing. I have practiced other meditation practices using sounds and/or music, so I had an idea of what to expect. This was to be a different “flavor” of a wide palette of meditation techniques.

After a few seconds, I put my focus on my breathing rhythm and body alignments. I find it easier to engage my thoughts by performing a mental inventory of the physical aspects of the meditation practice; kind of a scan from head to toe. I close my eyes lightly while I sit upright, but in a relaxed posture. I also become aware of my head pushing upward as my shoulders relax and sink downward. By gently stretching my neck side to side and forward and backward, I am able to release more tension in my face, neck, upper back and even my shoulders. The sounds continue to change in volume and tones, which is somewhat relaxing to my hearing and consequently, my whole body through my nervous system.

I then become more aware of my breaths by moving my respiratory diaphragm (belly), to further release and relax the muscular tension, especially during my exhales. 4 seconds to inhale, pause for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, pause again for 4 seconds, and then repeat this sequence with another 4 second inhale. This brings my breaths per minute (BPM) down to just below 4 respirations; more than slow enough to get below the 10 BPM that engages the parasympathetic nervous system. I have been practicing this breathing pattern (box breathing) for decades now, so I don’t really count the seconds but rather go by instinct to lengthen my breaths. The sounds continue in the background and are beginning to sound and feel more like vibrations than individual tones. I can slightly feel my body buzzing or vibrating also during this part of the session. It is quite relaxing and comfortable at the same time.

Now I can feel my mouth become moist, my palms and feet become warm, and my stomach begins to gurgle a bit. My brain is telling my body that I am relaxed enough to begin “rest and digest”. I become aware of my thoughts and continue the downward scan and release of muscular tension along the way, all the way down to my feet and toes. I maintain just enough tension to maintain my body posture but not too stiff or too relaxed.

Upon finishing I feel calm, refreshed, at ease and clearer. The room is quieter, but now I can hear the refrigerator and A/C in the background. My emotions feel as if they have been reset, for now at least. The room seems brighter, and my eyes focus a bit sharper for a few minutes thereafter the practice. This is a very satisfying and unique type of practice that I will be adding more into my meditation routines, maybe with or without static stances or posture work.

Reference:

Singing Bowls For Meditation: Deepen Your Practice – Insight Timer Blog

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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lectures about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga.

For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

Creative Meditation

There needs to be a mental intention behind whatever practice one chooses to pursue. Sometimes people get so hung up with just the word of “meditation” and thinking that to meditate one needs to become more spiritual, metaphysical or adopt some form of religion. I have taught literally hundreds of tai chi and qigong classes where at the end I explain about it being a moving meditation as well as vipassana and body scan meditations all in one. Occasionally, someone will be quite shocked and state something like “I didn’t know this was a religion; I am not interested in changing or doing your religion.” Pretty hard to try to convince someone at this point, being that they felt great while doing the exercises. However, due to some narrow-mindedness or lack of knowledge on the subject, they now feel indifferent towards the techniques. For those still open to learn, I will ask how many enjoy cooking, walking, photography, listening to music, gardening, etc. seeing that these can all be used as various forms of creative or moving meditations. Meditation is not a religion but rather a method to become more self-aware.

Creative meditation requires alert and active engagement of the consciousness, often with the goal of providing an environmental for an inner dialogue within one’s thoughts as opposed to a passive acceptance of whatever thoughts may arise. Creative practices often have a physical element involved that links the body and mind together, such as sketching, journaling, gardening, tai chi, yoga, and others.

This is somewhat different from methods like vipassana or loving kindness meditation methods, where the inner dialogue is mostly isolated from physical movements or engagements. On the other hand, creative meditations can be similar to drumming or ritual body postures in that the practitioner still needs to have an awareness of their physical being holding its space in the 3-dimensional world whether holding a yoga-like posture or a paintbrush in hand.

Another form of creative meditation that I have encountered is that of calligraphy qigong. Qigong is roughly translated to “breath work” and calligraphy is a visual art form of writing. When qigong and calligraphy are combined, practitioners develop their own qi (energy or lifeforce) resources by receiving, circulating, and storing qi while performing each brush stroke of a particular pictogram.

From my own experiences, all of these practices are neither good nor bad, nor absolute but rather fluid and able to be adjusted to an individual’s goals, perspectives and perhaps the mindset towards particular practices. Similarly, to the chef in the kitchen, who can make whatever meal they care to produce because they are in charge of all of their tools and ingredients within their cooking space, the meditator can pick and choose what suits their objectives.

References:

Monaghan, Patricia; Viereck, Eleanor G. (2011) Meditation: The Complete Guide (p. 266). New World Library. Kindle Edition.

Calligraphy Qi Gong | Calligraphy HealthLinks to an external site.

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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lectures about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga.

For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com