DEEP BREATHING 101; INSTRUCTORS SAY WELL-BEING COMES VIA OXYGEN INTAKE.

Byline: Nancy McVicar South Florida Sun-Sentinel 

Take a deep breath before reading this story.

If your chest expands more than your abdomen, you may be doing it wrong. So say the breathing teachers.

Breathing teachers? Don't we come into this world knowing how to breathe?

Sure, but have you ever noticed that when you get tense you sometimes forget to breathe for several seconds? Or when you are stressed, your breathing becomes short and shallow?

Take another deep breath and read on:

Breathing exercises for relief of stress and anxiety, for meditation, for healing, to clear the mind - even for weight loss - are a '90s health phenomenon.

In California and New York, you'll even find an isolated ``oxygen bar,'' complete with the equipment to give you a fresh breath of clean air. Instead of swigging down a martini or a pina colada, you can suck back hits of pure O2 and sip juices pumped full of oxygen bubbles.

Oxygen has become a social stimulant.

Yoga method

``Yogic breathing techniques are designed to increase oxygenation of the tissues and bring more energy into the body,'' says Mark Roberts, who teaches breathing along with his yoga classes.

During the centuries, yogi masters developed techniques to improve lung capacity and to increase the body's ability to remove toxins from the bloodstream, Roberts says. ``The lungs are considered the vacuum cleaner of the body, and the greater the lung capacity that's developed, the healthier.''

The correct way to inhale, he says, is through the nostrils, where tiny hairs filter the air. ``Yogis consider mouth-breathing very damaging. People who are mouth-breathers are much more susceptible to respiratory problems because there's no protection in the throat,'' says Roberts, who has been practicing yogic breathing for 22 years.

A complete yogic breath begins in the abdomen, moves up through the chest all the way to the shoulders or clavicle, then reverses from the shoulders to the thorax to the abdomen. When the breath is coming in, the stomach rises; when it has been expelled, the abdomen should be drawn back somewhat, toward the spine.

Even though breathing is an autonomic process, it can be improved with practice, Roberts says. Some exercises can be done by almost anyone, while others are intense and should only be done by a person in good health.

The payoff, he says, is life.

``The yogi masters say life span is directly related to number of breaths, that each person is allocated a certain number of breaths, so if you increase your lung capacity, you'll live longer.''

Calming effect

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar travels the world teaching breathing techniques that help people evolve and develop, he says.

He teaches Sudarshan Kriya, or Healing Breath technique, which he says helps to eliminate negativity and re-energize body and soul. It, too, is based upon yogic breathing, and uses the rhythm of the breath to bring about a state of meditation - to free the mind of fear, guilt and anger.

``I teach some breathing techniques - the sum total of what is needed to bring the mind to the present moment and to be more alert and more relaxed at the same time,'' he says.

When the technique is used to free the mind of its worries, the body is better able to employ its natural healing mechanisms and to restore mental and physical health, he says.

Just being aware of the breath as it passes in through the nostrils, down into the lungs, and back out again brings people to the present moment - not worrying about the past or the future, he says, and also sharpens perception, observation and expression, ``bringing more harmony within themselves, their family and society.''

Shankar takes his message to strife-torn areas, such as Bosnia, where he has given free workshops for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the war there.

Modern science has begun to validate many of the principles found in such ancient breathing techniques, says Ronnie Newman, director of research at the Art of Living Foundation, founded by Shankar to teach the breathing and meditation techniques and to do research. There are 83 such centers around the world.

``We know now that one's mental or emotional state has a direct impact on immune-system function, quality and length of life,'' she says. ``We also know that psychological factors influence the disease process across a wide range of illnesses, including cardiovascular, HIV, gastrointestinal disease and cancer.''

CAPTION(S):

Drawing, Photo

Drawing: (Cover--Color) Just breathe...

Sounds simple, but are you doing it properly?

Jorge Irribarren/Daily News

Photo: Instructor Kevin O'Kane leads students in a breathing exercise at Angel City Yoga in Studio City.

Evan Yee/Daily News