The most powerful breathing technique I know is an exercise called the fire breath, a form of Pranayama. Prana is the term for the life force energy attached to the oxygen in the air we breathe. I do this exercise every morning to push out the old breath so that I can really breathe fresh energy into my body. Do this just one to three times in the beginning and you will be amazed how energized you feel.
Sit with your spine straight so that the energies in your body can move up and down without hindrance. Either close your fists grabbing onto your thumb, or place your thumb and forefinger together. This creates an energetic arc so that your energy is circled throughout your body.
Begin to “snort” or exhale forcibly and slowly out of your nose. Imagine that you are pretending to be a choo-choo train and increase the snorts to make the train sounds. Continue with very fast snorts for a few successions and then slow back down to a stop. You will notice that as you snort, you are pushing down with your diaphragm into the belly. At first you may need a tissue near by as there may be a lot of mucus in your nose.
When you finish the fire breath, breathe in deeply, and as you exhale, squeeze your anus up tightly. This tightens the pubicoccxygeous muscle that runs through the perineum area. Squeezing closes off an important acupuncture point so that energy does not drain out from below, but rather moves up the body, nourishing the higher centers of consciousness.
Take several normal breathes and begin again. This is a perfect way to begin a meditation because it helps the mind to let go of the body and allows the spiritual energy to flow through.
Now begin to breathe deep breathes all the way down to your belly. Focus on drawing the life force or of prana into your body and concentrating on this act of nourishing yourself.
Breath is a powerful interface between the physical and spiritual worlds. It also is directly tied to the Emotional Body that so influences your self-worth and joy in life. If you are willing to bring your breath onto a conscious level, you will be giving yourself a clear message of your intention to use life fully and attain an Ageless Body.