THE NEUTRAL BREATH
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THE NEUTRAL BREATH THEORY
TONGUE UP & NOSE BREATHING
The tip of the tongue touches on the gum behind the upper teeth. The tongue should be soft, relaxing onto more of the palate over time. The teeth are closed but barely touching, definitely not biting.
DROP ALL TENSION FROM ABDOMINAL WALL & ALLOW ABDOMINAL CAVITY TO DRAW IN THE AIR
The aim here is to allow the abdominal cavity to be the source of the breath. The chest should remain still, as if you breathe into the belly down the back, ‘behind’ the chest. The abdominal cavity functions like a spherical bellow with a long nozzle all the way up to the nose. The cavity opens and closes, drawing in the air at the top (the nostrils). In the beginning the ability to breathe into the cavity may be subtle and limited, but this improves quite rapidly with genuine practice. Allow the opening and closing to unstick the organs and tissues inside the abdominal cavity to increase the functional quality of the abdominal cavity.
CONNECT THE INHALE TO THE EXHALE & THE EXHALE TO THE INHALE
Make sure there is no break, hold or gap in the transitioning from inhale to exhale and vice versa. In the beginning this can be deliberate and course. Much like a breathing machine driven by a cylinder. Once the breathing is connected, work to smoothen the transitions. Make them as subtle as a wave rolling up and retracting down the beach, never appearing to have a still moment during the rolling transition.
SILENCE THE BREATH UNTIL INAUDIBLE INSIDE
This step is the most intricate. This refines the breath even further. It stimulates to breathe even deeper into the body beyond the abdominal cavity. Into the pelvic cavity and legs. The whole body is now participating in the breathing process. Where the abdominal cavity was the bellow before, it is now as if the entire body has become one big bellow, including the legs. The breath becomes more and more subtle, to the point you may be wondering if you’re breathing at all, yet you have a very clear notion that you are not out of breath at all.
75% MAX - THE SWEET SPOT
The 75% refers to the maximum capacity of the breath and is 75% a conceptual number for practical use. It gives you an idea within which range to look for the ‘sweet spot’ in the breath. This is where you breathe exactly right, not too much nor too little, full but not stretched, relaxed but substantial, enough to stimulate, but too little to stress the system. It brings the same sensations as when you have a successful yawn, but without actually yawning, of course. This sweet spot will be somewhere within this 75% range, so can very well be somewhere within the 30-60% range. You don’t have to worry about the 75% of the inhale being more or less than the 75% of the exhale. It is a practical tool to find the exact right amount of breathing. It will be unmistakeable, as if you have a successful yawn without performing the physical act, on every inhale and on every exhale. Only to have the same satisfying feeling of ideal breath intake again on the inhale etc etc. It may feel a little tingly or loving, it may even be experienced as blissful at times.
We often see when people try to slow down their breath, they become uncomfortable and feel like they’re out of breath. It is counterintuitive but when one gets in trouble with their exhale, the cause is often the inhale. When you inhale too much, the exhale has to compensate and thus cannot be balanced. Keep in mind that the ratios do not influence the amount of breath. This means you have to time the 75% of breathing capacity with the ratio you are working with. It is about slowing down breathing the same amount, rather than breathing more.
NB when you find the sweet spot correctly, the breath will begin to refine itself and will become very subtle and small, to the point it may seemingly disappear altogether. Your breath becomes smooth, natural and primarily driven by the opening and closing of the body.
INDIRECTNESS
Another key principle of the Inward Method. Whenever we work on the breath, the adjustments and observations we make are indirect in a way that they are ‘soft’ and agile, always relating the Neutral state. This means that we always make sure the stillness is in place when we direct our attention to making an adjustment.
RATIOS (inhale:exhale)
1:1
When working with The Neutral Breath, in general we say the Ratio is 1:1. The inhalation is approximately as long as the exhale, but we are not consciously controlling it beyond remaining within 75%. This means that any fluctuations are allowed, so that the body can do what it needs to in order to balance out deeper.
1:2, 1:3 & higher -The Parasympathetic Breath
When the exhale is longer than the inhale, the body activates the Parasympathetic nervous system. This is our ‘rest & digest’ system where the cells are regenerated, the body recovers and balances the activity of the ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for a lot of our stress and pain. To make the exhale longer, we do not exhale more. Instead we slow down the exhale. The amount of breath remains 75%, but we slow down the exhale to twice or three times as slow as the inhale.
4 :8 (seconds)
This amount is a good goal to set when first working with the Neutral Breath. Once you are breathing 4:8 you now breathe 5 breaths per minute and you gradually begin to become aware of a fluid quality in your body, that seems to be affected by your balance and your intention. This is Flow. Try to focus on the conditions of the Neutral Breath and not to force the breath slowing down, or to forcefully achieve anything. Allow yourself the time to discover your own breath. It is a process of removing resistance from your breathing process.
Beyond
When the 4:8 gets comfortable, it will naturally progress and slow down further. The higher ratios 1:3 and higher can be used for healing injuries, health issues and pain management.