How breath heals us, and expands us

Stanislov Grof has spent more than 5 decades helping revitalize the Western understanding of breath as a tool for healing, changing, growing and connecting to our largest selves.

In This Omega Institute article, he writes:

"Since the earliest times, virtually every major psychospiritual system seeking to comprehend human nature has viewed breath as a crucial link between nature, the human body, the psyche, and the spirit. This is clearly reflected in the words many languages use for breath.

In the ancient Indian literature, the term prana meant not only physical breath and air, but also the sacred essence of life. Similarly, in traditional Chinese medicine, the word chi refers to the cosmic essence and the energy of life, as well as the natural air we breathe by our lungs. In Japan, the corresponding word is ki, which plays an extremely important role in Japanese spiritual practices and martial arts. In ancient Greece, the word pneuma meant both air or breath and spirit or the essence of life. The Greeks also saw breath as being closely related to the psyche. ....

Read the full article here: The Healing Power of Breath | eomega.org