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Basic physiology of the physical-etheric body - respiration.

Copyright © 2000 Kevin Farrow

Medieval alchemists believed that this energetic system was a link with the divine and it has been described as ‘the spirit’ by many writ-ers. The physical-etheric energy body has also been called the ‘polarity field’ and the ‘etheric body’. It has been variously described as a magnetic field,(Gerber) or a flow of wireless currents (Stone). In reality, it isn’t a simple polarity or magnetic field.While it does show aspects of polarity or magnetism, it also shows other more subtle aspects. Even on the polarity aspects, the Chinese classification of yin/yang which allows for infinite variation, is more appropriate than the simplis-tic idea of positive and negative.

The physical-etheric field is a network of interlaced energetic patterns or streams. It’s not a single thing like the ‘new age’ idea of an energy egg shell - that pattern is just a part of it.The field is an interface between the physical body and the more subtle bodies. It is a component part of all physical systems - it transforms the energy which makes us alive. For this reason, studying its patterns and effects, its physiology and anatomy - has great relevance to us.There is a direct relationship between the processes of the physical body and the physical-etheric field.The basic physical processes that relate to this energetic body are :
• respiration
• circulation
• digestion

Respiration

The first pattern and function of the energy body that we will look at,is it’s part in the respiratory system of the subtle energies.This pattern provides the energetic/vibrational link to the physical body’s respiratory system. In the physical respiratory system, the lungs draw in air to provide oxygen to the blood in the cardiovascular circulatory system. In the energy body respiration, the substance drawn in is the UE or universal energy. The energetic breath converts this to ‘Qi’,a form of subtle energy that can flow around the energy body circulatory system and provide energy for various functions.The respiratory organ used in the physical body is the lungs. In the physical-etheric body, the respiratory organ is the lower Tan Tien.This feels about the size of an orange and is centred several finger widths below the navel. Just as the lungs move in and out like a bellows, so too the lower Tan Tien expands and contracts.

In an individual in a balanced energy state, this energetic pulse ‘draws’ the breath in and out.The ‘out pulse’ fractionally preceeds lung inspiration as the ‘in pulse’ preceeds expiration. Most of us are only in a balanced state while we are meditating and meditation, particularly basic Vipassana,(see exercises) is one of the easiest ways to watch the process occur. Energetic breathing in sync with the physical breath is similar to the common Qi Gong breathing exercise with the hands going out from the hara position to shoulder height in inspiration and coming together again at the hara position at the end of expiration.The hands draw out the breath in this exercise just as the energetic breath draws out the physi-cal breath.

This exercise performed slowly, is a very good way to bring the energy respiration and the physical respiration into alignment. In an out of balance state, the physical breath and the energetic breath will be out of sync and may respirate at radically different rates per minute. Either Tai Chi breathing or Vipassana will enable you to bring energetic balance to your breathing in several minutes.This is perfect for a stressed office or family situation where you ‘lose’ yourself and the emotional and mental miasms ‘loosed’ are causing imbalance and you are mindfucking yourself.

10 minute exercise to watch the energy breath.
a) Dance for 3 minutes. Don’t make this too physical, just get the body moving easily.
b) Qi Gong breathing for 3 minutes with arms raising on the inbreath and lowering on the outbreath.
c) Vipassana 4 minutes. Watch the in and out breath and be aware of the energy respiration outside the physical body. Note: Basic Vipassana.This is an ancient Buddist meditation that is focused on the breath. It is easy to to practise although if you’re a beginner you may find it difficult to concentrate for longer than a minute or 2. Keep practicing!

How to do it –

• sit in comfortable clothes with a straight back. If you can’t sit in half-lotus on the floor, sit on a kitchen chair, not a lounge chair.
You can also sit with your back against the wall and your legs out in front, whatever is comfortable.

• keep your head up so that you don’t go to sleep or daydream.

• close your eyes and keep your hands still.

• watch the breath come in through the nose and out again and count that as 1. Count the next breath as 2. Keep going until you get to 10,then go backwards to 1 and start again. Easy! When you lose count or think about food, your partner, the office, the beach or whatever it is that you drift off to, just come back to the breath count. Don’t give yourself a hard time over ‘drifting’... it happens.

• watching the energy breath is easy from here – it feels like a slow tidal pulse away from your body. These exercises will allow you to notice the respiratory function of the lower Tan Tien within a few weeks. If you are a Qi Gong student, watching the energy while performing the Tan Tien exercises is very helpful. Note: Mr Suzuki the violin teacher, claimed that all his students had equal ability - the ones that practised an hour a day took 10 years to get to the point that the students who practised 10 hours a day got to in a year - but not if they were serious about it.The best musicians are the ones who love playing! Similarly with energetic receptivity. If you want to be faster and do it now – serious attitudes and determination to succeed won’t help – flippancy (playing with it) is much preferred. To quote Lao Tzu ‘Heaven hates what it hates, who knows the reason why.”

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