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."