Just Breathe! the ezine of The International Breath Institute (IBI), is sent to you from Dr. Tom Goode. IBI shows you how to be fully alive and in optimal health through lifestyle management—learning to live in alignment with your holistic nature. We provide shortcuts from science, tips for your health, and reminders about your breathing.

Content
IBI's web site focuses on Full Wave Breathing because it is the single most important exercise for your health. Use it to become fully alive--get well, be well and do well.

Healthcare
You either take care of your health or you don't. If you don't, you become a participant in what is known as "Healthcare," a system predicated upon the study of sick people and focusing on how to "fix" them. It addresses symptoms rather than causes and treats disease as an enemy to be eradicated. See the Healthcare Report Card in this month’s issue.

Self-Responsible Self Care
If illness were not your enemy, and instead was a message concerning stressors in your mind and body, how would you treat it? Likely you would cooperate with the body using principles based upon natural health. The first place you might start is with the most basic foundation of life, your breathing.

Your mind and body work pretty well until you start storing stressors in your breathing muscles. Then you become a shallow breather, creating chronic tension that wears down your immune system. Your blood becomes toxic, and lacking oxygen and energy, your body is unable to defend itself against environmental stressors. The result is disease.

Holistic Practices
The foundation of all holistic health practices is deeper, effective breathing, which affects your respiration, circulation, vitality, digestion, assimilation, and more. Breathing affects your entire system. Master your breathing and you master the ability to stimulate your healing resources.

Have high blood pressure? Use your breathing to promote the unimpeded flow of consciousness through every cell in your body. Healing takes place on all levels. Your breathing determines your physical vitality, your emotional calmness, your mental focus and your spiritual awareness. Practice Full Wave Breathing for 30 days, and see your life improve.

Today's Health Challenges
It is getting more difficult for you, the consumer, the operator of the body--the soul--to gather the information you need for your health and to apply it as it suits your individual lifestyle, culture, ethnicity and genetic pattern. The FDA has proven to be of help only to Big Medicine and Big Pharma, refusing to make information regarding effective natural and alternative prevention and treatment available to the public even when there are valid tests and proven results.

DRUG MAKERS TURN NORMAL BEHAVIOR INTO DISEASE & PROFITS is the title of an article I recommend you read at http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8478.

Splenda is being advertised on TV as sugar. It isn’t. Instead it is a neurotoxin. For more about its false promise and the ongoing battle with aspartame, visit http://www.wnho.net.

For another view of what is going on with your healthcare world, visit www.mercola.com/townofallopath/townofallopath.htm

The Duh Factor
WebMD.com reported the results of a new study stating that “Sleepy drivers are a hazard to themselves and everyone else on the road.” Apparently there is a 50% greater likelihood of a drowsy driver having a serious accident than an alert one.

Researchers find that large serving utensils encourage eating more! In this “big news” report, it is also asserted that having larger serving vessels—plates and bowls—leads to eating more. Before throwing out your present dishware, however, there is another factor to consider. The test was based upon observations at an “ice-cream social.” Those using the largest scoops and largest bowls took the most.

Next, another group of researchers have found that both men and women were likely to hate or dislike their job the next day if they suffered from insomnia. The effect was reportedly “more pronounced” in the women than in the men.

And it goes on…
As a study concluded that “caffeine is probably more helpful than sugar in helping sleepy people pay attention, especially when followed by a short nap.”

Progress Is Being Made?
The Good: A survey, conducted and published by the American Hospital Association every two years, shows the percentage of hospitals offering one or more CAM services increased from 8% in 1998 to 27% in 2005.

The Bad: Complimentary and Alternative Medicine is most commonly available in the Midwest, principally Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. It is less commonly available on the West Coast, and least available in the South.

The Ugly: CAM services provided to treat only symptoms suffer from the same defect as regular allopathic treatments in that they seldom examine cause so that even if the symptom expressing is suppressed, it only arises again in the same or a more annoying and urgent form.

Priorities
This year the federal government will spend $2.2 Billion on AIDs research while Americans themselves will spend $22 Billion on luxury bathrooms.

Your Healthy Heart
A report published online in the journal Circulation on July 3, 2006 concluded that coronary events in older American men could mostly be prevented through adopting five healthy lifestyle habits:

1. Not smoking;
2. Daily moderate to vigorous exercise;
3. Consuming alcohol in moderation;
4. Maintaining a healthy weight;
5. Consuming a healthy diet as based on the Harvard School of Public Health Alternate Healthy Eating Index.

I will disagree with this “broad brush” approach by asserting that alcohol is a drug and its benefits without the attendant problems can be replicated by drinking grape juice or consuming a variety of other antioxidant substances. I also take issue with the dietary guidelines that are still 20th century news and do not reflect the latest understanding of human functioning. I will not go on regarding smoking in moderation, what constitutes “healthy” exercise or about what, for you, is a “healthy” weight. For these and other answers to your health questions, order my Holistic Guide to Weight Loss, Anti-Aging and Fat Prevention.

A reminder from last month’s column and particularly relevant with respect to avoiding being treated by “healthcare” facilities or personnel: It is easier to prevent the multiplicity of cardiovascular disease symptoms than it is to reverse them. Begin boosting your mindbody system’s self-renewing capability today.

The Facts about Angioplasty
This year the federal government will spend $2.2 Billion on AIDs research while Americans themselves will spend $22 Billion on luxury bathrooms.

Priorities
· A $16 Billion-a-year business for hospitals and doctors
· Blockages return following about half of all angioplasties
· In 3-5% of cases angioplasty triggers heart attack
· In 1-2% of cases, the patient doesn’t leave the operating room
· Considered unnecessary by most alternative practitioners

The Power of Advertising
1) Filtered carbonated water
2) Citric acid
3) Potassium citrate
4) Natural flavors
5) High-fructose corn syrup

The above is a list is of the “all-natural” ingredients in a popular soft drink. I guess saying it makes it so and I won’t be drinking it! Educate yourself and read the labels on everything you eat or drink if you have any interest in your or your family’s health.

When is the Best Time for Full Wave Breathing?
One session of 15 minutes daily is recommended AND when you are walking, commuting, cleaning the kitchen, etc. Practice the technique at every opportunity and you’ll find yourself consciously breathing an hour a day. Make it your practice to take breathing breaks also—3, 5 or 10 breaths at a time between calls, chores, television programs and the like.

Do, however, dedicate at least one time period when you are doing nothing other than sitting or lying down and breathing. Become aware of your breathing when you answer the phone, are sitting in meetings and with the family. Dissolve any tension with a few full, slow, deep, connected Full Wave Breaths and feel better instantly.

Healthcare Report Card
Overall Grade: D

In addition, it is conservatively estimated that

A. 2.2 million people suffer adverse reactions to prescribed medication while in the hospital;
B. The annual number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed exceeds 20 million;
C. The number of unnecessary surgical and medical procedures is 7.5 million yearly;
D. The number of people unnecessarily hospitalized is 8.9 million per year.

One study of Medicare patients puts the cost of medication errors at almost $900 million—not including lost earnings, pain or suffering. For more info examine this month’s issue of Life Extension (www.lef.org) and the article, Death by Medicine.

Product Update--It Works!

You can expand your mindbody system’s ability accept, embrace and even thrive on the growing stress in your life. Follow this link to a description of this amazing product for your health and well being.

Help for COPD
A diet rich in omega-3s helps with breathing and lung related conditions including asthma. I’d take as much a 3,000 mg (3 grams) daily if I had these conditions and 2,000 mg daily otherwise to reduce inflammation from pollutants and improve breathing.

Behind the Curtain
Your own self realization is the greatest service you can render the world
--Sir Ramana Maharshi

As Caron and I relocate to a countryside home outside of Ft. Worth, Texas, I am reminded that a conscious life requires progressive steps until the process becomes free flowing just as does the implementation of a plan for moving a household. That was one of the ideas behind the creation of the Cosmic Waltz Inner Harmony Program - to lay out the steps for someone to take until life becomes free-flowing.

It is also part of the reasoning behind my new Consciousness Coaching Program. Picture yourself standing on a sea shore just entering the water on a calm day. As you progress, the water rises on your body as the bottom falls away to the sea. You walk until the water lifts you and you begin to float and swim on your own.

I will walk with you until you comfortably swim on your own in the vast Ocean of Consciousness that we call Life. What is this Life? Consider this brief excerpt from my book-in-progress, Living A Loving Life—The Love Prescription:

There are three realms to your physical existence: the physical, the non-physical, and the spiritual. You have a physical body made of cells and atoms, comprised of bones, skin, blood, organs, hormones, and so much more. You also have a non-physical body that holds your emotions and thoughts; this is where archetypes are held. Your physical, emotional and mental bodies together form your soul.

Energetic vibrations from the spiritual realm are attracted to the soul and coalesce into physical matter, sparked by Life. You breathe in spiritual essence, bringing oxygen to the blood that pumps through your heart and feeds every part of your body.

My job (Joy of Being) passion and purpose is to assist the awakening process in individuals and their organizations. To this end, I am now providing a Consciousness Coaching Program for your holistic realization with my serving as a mentor and guide.

We’ll focus upon your divine nature that is rapidly expanding in your life. We’ll examine the places in your life where you feel stuck, unravel their origin and correct misperceptions and self-judgments that produce so-called “blocks” or constrictions in your energetic flow. You’ll find the answers you are seeking for your life and develop a pattern of living in harmony with Life so that you:

I’ll remain with you for as long as it takes for your continued action to build a “groove” in your life, a neural trace so strong that you are Self-reliant and able to live a greater life of Love. As your coach, I already know you are whole and complete. I also know that the part of you that forgets your own inner knowing in that regard can regain its focus, direction and purpose in your life. And…it doesn’t have to be difficult!

What part of your life are you working on? Is it health, relationships, economics, job, career, family? What value would there been to resolving all of the perceived problems that keep you from living a greater, more peaceful life of Love? Are you willing to evolve your consciousness so you no longer carry the burden of your life, and instead feel uplifted by it?

Most people have a great deal of information; yet, have difficulty “staying the course” when it comes to their personal lives. They lack a method that inspires them instead of just motivating them. This is where a consciousness coach, mentor or guide can assist your empowerment and action.

Would it help to have a support structure to effortless carry you to the next stage of your personal unfolding your conscious awareness? Would you like a way to find the answers within yourself that is practical, reliable and trustworthy?

Learn More

You Can Still Attain A Holistically Natural Weight plus
Prevent disease and avoid unnecessary doctor visits with The Holistic Guide to Weight Loss, Anti-aging and Fat Prevention.

A Wealth of Info from the Internet
Visit http://www.healingfoodreference.com/ for a comprehensive treatment of foods. The home site, www.NewsTarget.com is a valuable resource for students and practitioners of natural healing methods.

The abundance of healing information now available brings people closer and closer to the time when they realize “it” isn’t in the food, the air, the water, the remedy, or the medicine, but is within them. That’s another good reason why I am offering the Consciousness Coaching Program at this time. For those who dare, this is the most significant step in your healing and evolution yet made available. Do take a look at the “rest of the story” in the following link.

Toward a Healthier Future

Keep breathing!
Tom

EXERCISE CORNER:

Full Wave Breathing is a natural, drug-free, and dramatically effective way to experience health, joy and aliveness that mobilizes and supports your progression toward balance and wholeness. It is a method which accelerates and complements modern healthcare and treatment practices. Use it to inspire yourself so you can inspire others!

The Single Most Important Exercise is Full Wave Breathing

There are 3 Steps, simple as A B C: Abdomen, Belly, and Chest. First, breathe into the lower abdomen and keep your focus there until you can comfortably fill and relax that area of the body. Use your muscles to expand your lower abdomen, beginning at the top or your pubic bone. Second, after filling the abdomen (A) shift your focus to your entire belly (B) or midsection, stretching and distending your diaphragm and ribs as you inhale. Relax everything as you exhale. Use your muscles to push out the lower abdomen, then expand the area just above.

Third, filling A & B, shift your focus to your chest (C) and above. Having expanded the lower portions of the body, stretch up into the chest and back. Make all of your physical movements gentle and slow. All the movement to become very subtle and gentle as you alternately inhale and exhale without pause.

You may find it more comfortable to begin with distinct movements of your body. Allow the process to become like a dance of movement from bottom to top, top to bottom. Later, allow your body to remain completely relaxed as you visualize the movement of energy through you.

Repeat often for the most dramatic results. For more detailed instruction, read below:

Step One of Full Wave Breathing

Place one hand on the abdomen below the navel and the other on the chest. As you inhale, hold the chest still; allowing the abdomen to expand as if you is filling a balloon. Stretch and extend the lower belly. Relax completely into an inhale at the point where the abdomen is distended fully and the lungs are filled. After exhaling, inhale immediately. The chest does not move at all.

Continue breathing with no pause between inhales and exhale. All of the emphasis is upon your inhale. The exhale is a release of the tension created during your inhale. So you will Inhale and relax...inhale...and relax. Continue as you read this instruction to see how simple it is to perform. Breathe through your nose or mouth as you desire. You increase oxygenation by over 50% when you breathe through your mouth because of the normal restriction in nostril breathing.

Close your eyes as you are breathing and then relax for a few minutes when you are done. Allow your breathing to normalize before continuing with your activities. You may perform this exercise while sitting at the computer, riding in the car, or even watching television. Start practicing this exercise today and you'll be pleased with your result!

To help you stay focused on your breathing, place a book or weighted bag on your lower abdomen when lying down and performing the exercise. If you are sitting, to keep your spine erect, imagine that a rope is attached to the middle of your head. The rope rises into the air. In your imagination, allow the rope to gently lift you up until your spine is erect. Sit straight, be open, and breathe.

Step Two of Full Wave Breathing

Continue breathing with no pause between inhales and exhale. Inhale and Relax...Inhale...and Relax.

Count 1 as you inhale and expand your lower abdomen in Step One. Count 2 as you lengthen your inhale and push out the middle of your torso at the solar plexus. Release tension and allow the body to exhale and repeat. Perform this exercise anytime to relax. Do not perform connected breathing when driving or operating machinery.

When lying down, place a pillow under your knees, not under your neck. When sitting, allow yourself to stretch and open your spine as you sit and breathe.

Close your eyes as you breathe and then relax for a few minutes when you are done. Allow your breathing to normalize and return to your tasks.

Step Three of Full Wave Breathing

Continue breathing with no pause between inhales and exhale. Inhale and relax...Inhale...and relax.

Count 1 as you inhale and push out your lower abdomen. Count 2 as you raise the breath and energetic focus to your solar plexus. Count 3 as you move your breath and muscular focus up into your chest, stretching your intercostal muscles, shoulders and back of the neck. Relax completely when you exhale, allowing the muscles to soften. There is no effort or tension involved in your exhale.

Close your eyes as you breathe and then relax for a few minutes when you are done. Allow your breathing to normalize before continuing with your activities. Perform this exercise anytime you are sitting passively to provide a quick and effective energy boost and relaxation.

Keep your spine straight if sitting and allow to your body to move as you breathe and relax. Feel the wave of inhale as air enters your body and the wave of exhale as it leaves. Increase the volume of air and pace of breathing and feel how it affects your experience.

Since resolving stress at the cellular level is below our awareness, there are times when the breathing is accompanied by laughing or crying as old chemistry breaks up. Simply keep breathing! Allow your body any movement that arises and remember to relax fully when you exhale, softening all your muscles. Continue breathing at your own pace, deeply and fully.

Maintain your own pace and be willing to experiment. Your pace will normally change from day to day and during a session of Full Wave Breathing. Playing music as you breathe helps keep you focused in a gentle rhythm. The Cosmic Waltz, offered by Inspired Living, is the best I know of for this purpose. It focuses on the heart center and expands relaxation throughout the body.

All material in this ezine is presented as information only and should not be constructed as medical advice or instruction. Readers should consult with appropriate licensed health care providers on any matter relating to their health. The information provided is believed to be accurate and based on the best judgment of the author. None of the statements in this ezine have been approved by the FDA.

"How things look on the outside of us depends on how things are on the inside of us."