For those interested in finding practical ways of elevating one's level of consciousness, John Baines' book, HypsoConsciousness offers exercises which deal with four basic aspects of the human mechanism. These exercises train the processes of breathing, imagination, vocalization and movement.The exercise presented here is a simple example of the many exercises contained in HypsoConsciouness.

Breathing
To breathe does not only mean to supply the organism with the necessary fuel to maintain life, but also to delineate the schema of one's emotional, mental and nervous conditions. The respiratory and the nervous systems are equally influenced as far as excitability and inhibition are concerned. Similarly, one's emotional and imaginative states correspond to one's particular mode of breathing. There is no uniform breathing process for all people, as there are marked differences in volume and rhythm. Individual breathing habits greatly influence the various characteristics of one's personality, apart from representing the yardstick of one's physical and nervous vitality. A person who breathes deeply always has more psychic and biological energy. One who breathes shallowly is usually shy and asthenic. Correct breathing is one of the determining causes of good health, of a balanced nervous system, of a serene emotional state and of an alert mind.

Breathing is the flow of organic life. It is the only uninterrupted contact we maintain with Mother Nature, which, like an umbilical cord, supplies us with the elements necessary for our maintenance. The suspension of breathing means death. Moreover, the breathing process is the only vegetative function that can be influenced by our will. It is therefore the nexus between the cerebro-spinal nervous system and the vegetative system.

The breathing exercises presented below are not only designed for increasing one's vital capacity, but also have a direct influence on one's imaginative education and on one's ability to vocalize. In practice, the different groups of exercises are interrelated and mutually influence each other. Thus, breathing, speaking and movement, influence the imagination which are in turn influenced by it. Due to this, for example, certain breathing exercises are really designed to facilitate mental concentration, which would be classified as imaginative education

Complete Breathing
People normally breathe by filling only the upper part of their lungs. If they wish to take in a large amount of air, their thorax swells considerably. This type of breathing is called thoracic breathing. The function of the diaphragm is not very important here. (The diaphragm is a wide muscle that separates the thorax from the abdomen and is used simply for breathing in.) When the individual breathes with his diaphragm, he increases the volume of air taken in and at the same time reduce the amount of residual air. Correct mastery of the use of the diaphragm allows one to improve the efficiency of the breathing process, which at the same time is one of the essential elements in correct speaking. Most people truly suffer from respiratory insufficiency, a fact that may be verified by the following test exercise. Sitting comfortably, place your thumbs on your waist above the pelvic bones, so that your other fingers are placed backwards following your waistline until they touch each other at the back. You should breathe normally in this position and observe whether there is a swelling of the lower back muscles. If there is no swelling of these muscles, then your breathing is deficient.

Exercise for Complete Breathing
Stand up, with your feet a little apart, your head upright and your shoulders back. Start to breath in while filling your abdomen, that is, projecting it forwards quite firmly until it bulges slightly. Keep breathing in until you have filled your lungs, now dilating your thorax, so that the abdomen is now naturally flattened. When breathing out, you should try to contract the abdomen gently in order to facilitate the elimination of the residual air.

In order to observe how the diaphragm works, lie down on your back and breathe a few minutes in this position. You must breathe without dilating your thorax and without moving your shoulders, thus swelling out the central part of your body.

This is an exercise for the re-education of breathing habits and acts as a basis for other, more complex exercises. It may be done as often as you please each day until it becomes your habitual mode of breathing, which is of course most desirable.

If, in a certain moment during the day, you feel a state of uneasiness and nervousness in the presence of another person, what would be appropriate? In this case, intensified diaphragmatic breathing and keeping the mind fixed upon the idea of calmness and tranquility.

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