Bone Breathing: Making Your Breath

Reach the Bones BY SONALI BANSAL Remember to breathe. It is, after all, the secret of
life. ~ Gregory Maguire Prana or life force is the vital energy that keeps the body alive, and
channeling that energy to the different organs in our body is equally important to maintain a
state of good health. Our bones are living organs too that provide structure for our body,
protect all our important organs and help us nourish our entire body by producing red and
white blood cells. An ancient Taoist practice that uses this life force to restore health and
give strength to the bones, is Bone Breathing. The practice uses breathing and visualization
to bring more healing Qi into the bones and joints. Mantak Chia, a taoist master known for
his teaching Taoist practices under the names of Healing Tao, Tao Yoga, Universal Healing
Tao System and Chi Kung, in his book, Iron Shirt Kung I, spoke about the potentiality of
Bone breathing, Bone Breathing or bone compression is the method of Cleansing the
Marrow, or cleaning out fat in the bone marrow so that you can direct and absorb the
creative (sexual) energy into the bone to help regrow the bone marrow. He also mentioned
that bones are highly porous and are always breathing; just like a sponge sucks water,
bones suck in oxygen, nutrition and blood. A medical study in The American Journal of
Physiology suggests that the oxygen supply to our bones directly affects bone formation and
bone physiology. The importance of Chi or Prana The whole concept of this ancient practice
revolves around the presence of Chi in our environment. Chia said, Taoists describe the
world as an interaction of positively and negatively charge electromagnetic energies. Chi is
an overall term used for these energies, which comprises the ultimate nourishment derived
from food, air, sun and stars. Chi is also generated in our bodies by the organs and glands
and extends around us as a part of our emanation. What we do not understand is the real
essence of breathing lies in a full breath; a breath that refreshes, revitalizes and rejuvenates
us. Healthy breathing makes for healthy bones. All the bodily systems are affected by the
quality of our breath and bones are no different. Our bone marrow, situated on the corner of
the spongy bones with yellow fat in the middle known as medullary cavity, produces red and
white blood cells, that are vital for our existence. When we breathe fully, our porous bones
sucks in oxygen, transfers it to the red marrow to produce cells and also cleanses the fat in
the middle to create space for positivity. Technique of Bone breathing There are multiple
modifications and variations used in Bone Breathing. Starting with the simplest one, first and
foremost requirement is the belief in the theory. Now, imagine that your surrounding is
brimming with charged energy. This vital energy that surrounds you is slightly thicker in
comparison to the normal air. Sit comfortably on a chair and place your hands on your lap.
Fingers are stretched and open, and the palms are open and relaxed. Advanced practitioner
often uses the embrace the tree posture as demonstrated by Mantak Chia but for start even
sitting comfortably will reap similar benefits. Start by breathing deeply and rhythmically in
slow motion, trying to inhale and exhale as deeply as possible. The ratio of the breath
remains 1:2 (Inhale: Exhale). After a few breaths, bring your attention to the tip of the index
finger of the left hand. Relax the wrist, hand and fingers. As you inhale, feel the energy
transferring from the tip of the finger to the base of the finger and as you exhale from the
nose, feel all the negative energy leave from your finger, gradually condensing in your bone.
As you repeat a few times, experience a sense of warmth/numbing/heaviness/tingling in your
left hands index finger. Now, compare the same with the right hands index finger, which is
yet untouched. This comparison will enable you to recognize the effect of bone breathing.
Now, bring the same awareness in all the other fingers of the left hand, either one by one or
at the same time, sucking the vital energy in the body. (This need not be done individually
every time you practice. This is intended only to help you to isolate the feeling of energy by
concentrating on one small area at a time.) Eventually all fingers will be used to draw energy
simultaneously in both hands. Now, progress further to the forearm, upper arm and
shoulders, visualizing your bones as a big sponge consuming in the energy (the beginning
stages require more visualization). Now, reproduce the same feeling in your right hand,
gradually progressing from the fingers to the wrists to the forearms, so on and so forth. Feel
the sensation of warmth/numbing/heaviness/tingling spreading in both your arms. The cycle
would go from the arms to the scapulae, collarbone, sternum and ribs. The sensation of
warmth/numbing/heaviness/tingling might differ from one area to another, depending on the
structure of the bone in the specific area. Now, bring the focus to the feet and toes. It is best
to remove the shoes and any tight clothing and guide your awareness up the toes, either
singly or together up to the ankle. Breathe in from the toes of the left leg first and then the
right leg or both the legs together depending on your capabilities. Feel the breath enter
through all your bones, hold it for a while and then let the energy flow out. Gradually move
up from the feet to the ankle, calves, knee, thighbones, pelvis, coccyx and sacrum, up to C7
vertebra in the spinal column. The movement of the breath is depicted with arrows, in the
image above. (Do not pull your feet up with the breath. Let them remain flat on the floor.)
Now, you will have to breathe simultaneously both from legs and hands, merging the
energies at C-7 vertebrae in the spinal column and from there to the skull covering the entire
body. Keep breathing for some time, with minimum of nine breaths of whole body breathing.
And as you conclude bring all the energy to the navel center and close it. If more specific
knowledge of the bones is desired then it is advisable to work with a anatomical chart of the
skeleton to guide the energy with more precision. Benefits of Bone Breathing Bone breathing
helps the practitioner escape the modern day problems of bone mass deficiency,
osteoporosis, stress management, lack of energy, low immune system, etc. By circulating
the chi to the innermost parts of the body, energy created by Bone breathing, merges with
the sexual energy. One of the students of Chia, a middle-aged woman, was heavily losing
bone mass, but with the practice of bone breathing for 3 hours regularly within six months
regained the lost mass by 10% and in five years 100%. Increasing the production of red
blood cells and white blood cells, the process improves the flow of blood, secretion of
nutrients, enhance sexual energy, boosts the immune system and stronger bones with
increased bone density. The biggest advantage remains, that one can practice this
technique, anywhere and anytime. It is a very powerful technique that allows you to pull in
energy into one specific area and feel supercharged in that area. It also helps to be more
connected and in tune with the flow of energy in our body.

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