CHAPTER
III. THE EXOTERIC THEORY OF
BREATH
In
this chapter we will give you briefly the theories of the
Western scientific world regarding the functions of the
respiratory organs, and the part in the human economy
played by the breath. In subsequent chapters we will
give the additional theories and ascertained facts of the
Oriental school of thought and research. The
Oriental accepts the theories and facts of his Western
brothers (which have been known to him for centuries) and
adds thereto much that the latter do not now accept, but
which they will in due time 'discover' and which, after
renaming, they will present to the world as a great truth.
Before taking up the Western idea, it will perhaps
be better to give a hasty general idea of the Organs of
Respiration.
The Organs of Respiration consist of the lungs and
the air passages leading to them. The lungs are two
in number, and occupy the pleural chamber of the thorax,
one en each side of the median line, being separated from
each other by the heart, the greater blood vessels and the
larger air tubes. Each lung is free in all
directions, except at the root, which consists chiefly of
the bronchi, arteries and veins connecting the lungs with
the trachea and heart. The lungs are spongy and
porous, and their tissues are very elastic. They are
covered with a delicately constructed but strong sac,
known as the pleural sac, one wall of which closely
adheres to the lung, and the other to the inner wall of
the chest, and which secretes a fluid which allows the
inner surfaces of the walls to glide easily upon each
other in the act of breathing.
The Air Passages consist of the interior of the
nose, pharynx, larynx, windpipe or trachea, and the
bronchial tubes. When we breathe, we draw in the air
through the nose, in which it is warmed by contact with
the mucous membrane, which is richly supplied with blood,
and after it has passed through the pharynx and larynx it
passes into the trachea or windpipe, which subdivides into
numerous tubes called the bronchial tubes (bronchia),
which in turn subdivide into and terminate in minute
subdivisions in all the small air spaces in the lungs, of
which the lungs contain millions. A writer has
stated that if the air cells of the lungs were spread out
over an unbroken surface, they would cover an area of
fourteen thousand square feet.
The air is drawn into the lungs by the action of
the diaphragm, a great, strong, flat, sheet-like muscle,
stretched across the chest, separating the chest-box from
the abdomen. The diaphragm's action is almost as
automatic as that of the heart, although it may be
transformed into a semi-voluntary muscle by an effort of
the will. When it expands, it increases the size of
the chest and lungs, and the air rushes into the vacuum
thus created. When it relaxes the chest and lungs
contract and the air is expelled from the lungs.
Now, before considering what happens to the air in
the lungs, let us look a little into the matter of the
circulation of the blood. The blood, as you know, is
driven by the heart, through the arteries, into the
capillaries, thus reaching every part of the body, which
it vitalizes, nourishes and strengthens. It then
returns by means of the capillaries by another route, the
veins, to the heart, from whence it is drawn to the lungs.
The blood starts on its arterial journey, bright
red and rich, laden with life-giving qualities and
properties. It returns by the venous route, poor,
blue and dull, being laden down with the waste matter of
the system. It goes out like a fresh stream from the
mountains; it returns as a stream of sewer water.
This foul stream goes to the right auricle of the
heart. When this auricle becomes filled, it
contracts and forces the stream of blood through an
opening in the right ventricle of the heart, which in turn
sends it on to the lungs, where it is distributed by
millions of hair-like blood vessels to the air cells of
the lungs, of which we have spoken. Now, let us take
up the story of the lungs at this point.
The foul stream of blood is now distributed among
the millions of tiny air cells in the lungs. A
breath of air is inhaled and the oxygen of the air comes
in contact with the impure blood through the thin walls of
the hair-like blood vessels of the lungs, which walls are
thick enough to hold the blood, but thin enough to admit
the oxygen to penetrate them. When the oxygen comes
in contact with the blood, a form of combustion takes
place, and the blood takes up oxygen and releases carbonic
acid gas generated from the waste products and poisonous
matter which has been gathered up by the blood from all
parts of the system.
The blood thus purified and oxygenated is carried
back to the heart, again rich, red and bright, and laden
with life-giving properties and qualities. Upon
reaching the left auricle of the heart, it is forced into
the left ventricle, from whence it is again forced out
through the arteries on its mission of life to all parts
of the system. It is estimated that in a single day
of twenty-four hours, 35,000 pints of blood traverse the
capillaries of the lungs, the blood corpuscles passing in
single file and being exposed to the oxygen of the air on
both of their surfaces. When one considers the
minute details of the process alluded to, he is lost in
wonder and admiration at Nature's infinite care and
intelligence.
It will be seen that unless fresh air in sufficient
quantities reaches the lungs, the foul stream of venous
blood cannot be purified, and consequently not only is the
body thus robbed of nourishment, but the waste products
which should have been destroyed are returned to the
circulation and poison the system, and death ensues.
Impure air acts in the same way, only in a lessened
degree. It will also be seen that if one does not
breathe in a sufficient quantity of air, the work of the
blood cannot go on properly, and the result is that the
body is insufficiently nourished and disease ensues, or a
state of imperfect health is experienced. The blood
of one who breathes improperly is, of course, of a bluish,
dark color, lacking the rich redness of pure arterial
blood. This often shows itself in a poor
complexion. Proper breathing, and a consequent good
circulation, results in a clear, bright complexion.
A little reflection will show the vital importance
of correct breathing. If the blood is not fully
purified by the regenerative process of the lungs, it
returns to the arteries in an abnormal state,
insufficiently purified and imperfectly cleansed of the
impurities which it took up on its return journey.
These impurities if returned to the system will certainly
manifest in some form of disease, either in a form of
blood disease or some disease resulting from impaired
functioning of some insufficiently nourished organ or
tissue.
The blood, when properly exposed to the air in the
lungs, not only has its impurities consumed, and parts
with its noxious carbonic acid gas, but it also takes up
and absorbs a certain quantity of oxygen which it carries
to all parts of the body, where it is needed in order that
Nature may perform her processes properly. When the
oxygen comes in contact with the blood, it unites with the
hemoglobin of the blood and is carried to every cell,
tissue, muscle and organ, which it invigorates and
strengthens, replacing the worn out cells and tissue by
new materials which Nature converts to her use.
Arterial blood, properly exposed to the air, contains
about 25 per cent of free oxygen.
Not only is every part vitalized by the oxygen, but
the act of digestion depends materially upon a certain
amount of oxygenation of the food, and this can be
accomplished only by the oxygen in the blood coming in
contact with the food and producing a certain form of
combustion. It is therefore necessary that a proper
supply of oxygen be taken through the lungs. This
accounts for the fact that weak lungs and poor digestion
are so often found together. To grasp the full
significance of this statement, one must remember that the
entire body receives nourishment from the food
assimilated, and that imperfect assimilation always means
an imperfectly nourished body. Even the lungs
themselves depend upon the same source for nourishment,
and if through imperfect breathing the assimilation
becomes imperfect, and the lungs in turn become weakened,
they are rendered still less able to perform their work
properly, and so in turn the body becomes further
weakened. Every particle of food and drink must be
oxygenated before it can yield us the proper nourishment,
and before the waste products of the system can be reduced
to the proper condition to be eliminated from the
system. Lack of sufficient oxygen means Imperfect
nutrition, Imperfect elimination and imperfect
health. Verily, 'breath is life.'
The combustion arising from the change in the waste
products generates heat and equalizes the temperature of
the body. Good breathers are not apt to 'take cold,'
and they generally have plenty of good warm blood which
enables them to resist the changes in the outer
temperature.
In addition to the above-mentioned important
processes the act of breathing gives exercise to the
internal organs and muscles, which feature is generally
overlooked by the Western writers on the subject, but
which the Yogis fully appreciate.
In imperfect or shallow breathing, only a portion
of the lung cells are brought into play, and a great
portion of the lung capacity is lost, the system suffering
in proportion to the amount of under-oxygenation.
The lower animals, in their native state, breathe
naturally, and primitive man undoubtedly did the
same. The abnormal manner of living adopted by
civilized man 'the shadow that follows upon civilization'
has robbed us of our natural habit of breathing, and the
race has greatly suffered thereby. Man's only
physical salvation is to 'get back to Nature.'
