by Morra Talion (MT)

from Zelator Website
 

Lesson One
[First published in TNTC Vol. 1, No. 1 July '89]

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The Charger Breath

Here are your first instructions, your key Lesson in the Power Breathing technique. This first exercise is called the Charger Breath. Become very familiar with it, use it often every day, for it is the foundation of the system.

1. Do all breathing exercises sitting down, the first few days of practice. Use a comfortable chair, preferably straight-back so that your spine is nice and straight at all times during the exercise. Your feet should be flat on the floor, hands resting in lap or on knees. Head straight, facing frontally. Clothes should be loose (or none) and all belts, buttons or zippers about the abdomen should be loosened for maximum comfort and abdominal expansion.

2. Fix your gaze on a point straight ahead. This is an important step to begin with because it helps you concentrate on the breath without distraction. Later when you do the breathing randomly throughout your day while walking etc., this step may of course be eliminated.

3. The Charger Breath

Inhale deeply, strongly, even fiercely through the nostrils. Inhale just as deeply and powerfully as you possibly can. Inhale all the way, til you've gotten every last possible drop of air. Without holding or pausing, immediately exhale, strongly, evenly and thoroughly. This is a very strong, powerful breath; there's nothing timid or half-way about it. This is not the slow, quiet and gentle breath you may be used to or come to expect in association with the ordinary yogic techniques.

 

This is more like a Tibetan Bomber, a full-throttle Samurai Snort. In order to perform it properly, you should go so far as to scrunch up your face, actually wrinkle your nose into a kind of ferocious expression similar to those stylized masks of Japanese Noh. With your Noh nose properly crinkled and pumping, you ought to look very much like a cartoon bull, snorting and blowing the bellows of those nasal wings as if you could lift full sail by tacking into the wind.

4. Now in your best, cartoon bull fashion, take three successive Charger Breaths. Remember as you concentrate on the point in front of you, to make each breath as strong and even and thorough as possible, both in and out. The expiration of each breath should be done as thoroughly as the inspiration, so that you are forcefully expelling the very last drop of air. As you do these breaths in succession, you should—if you're doing it properly— sound like a freight tram bearing down the track.

 

Don't forget, this is a very powerful breath, not at all a timid or faint-hearted breath. It is accomplished crisply, with incisiveness. It should produce a loud rushing sound as it surges through your nostrils, like the suction of a powerful vacuum. As you become more accomplished, you should be able to whisk gnats out of the air and produce eddies of loose papers on your desk (anyway, you get the general idea).

5. At this stage you may do several complete rounds of the three Charger Breaths. Take three deep, powerful, decisive and thorough Charger Breaths. On the exhalation of that third breath, pause for a few moments (the third breath should be done with particular strength and emphasis; there is a tendency for some students to let the last breath tail off, as if they're in a hurry to go through the repetitions. The opposite should be the case; the last breath of the series should be particularly strong, thorough and emphasized).

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During the few-moments pause, you should make sure that your facial muscles, shoulders, neck, arms and legs are completely returned to a state of relaxation. The spine should always remain straight. Don't ever slouch or slump forward. Do another series of three breaths, pause a few moments, relax; then do the third series of three Charger Breaths. After the last series, sit still and feel. What do you feel like? What is the difference?

6. Increase the number of series-repetitions of the three Charger Breaths (for example, increase the count to seven by performing three Charger Breaths, pausing and relaxing, another three and so on until you've gone through seven whole rounds). Again, after completion of the seventh round, sit still and feel.

7. After some practice with the increased series-repetition, you should practice a shorter three-round series again only with a larger group of Charger Breaths, i.e. you should practice in clusters of five or seven Charger Breaths, repeating each cluster three times with pause and relaxation etc., as per previous instruction.

 

Next, using the larger group of Charger Breaths (clusters of five or seven etc.), you should increase the overall series-repetition again to a five or seven round series, i.e. take seven deep, strong Charger Breaths, pause and relax, take seven more etc. until you've completed five (or seven) repetitions. Always sit still afterwards, relax said feel the effect.

Remember that the Charger Breath should be practiced sitting down at least the first couple days; one of the effects you may feel when first practicing the Breath is a kind of light-headed or giddy feeling. This is an effect of possible hyperventilation, and is the reason we recommend doing the Breath at first only while sitting down.

Consistent practice of the Charger Breath will acclimate your system to a more positive and invigorating ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide in the bloodstream and tissues, and the threshold of hyperventilation will quickly be pushed back.

After a few weeks of regular practice you may well be able to do high numbers of series-repetitions using a big seven-group of breaths without experiencing any effects of hyperventilation at all.

Breathing Tips:

the proper way to breathe is by abdominal expansion and contraction, not chest expansion and contraction. When you inhale, the Breath should cause the abdomen to be expressed or pushed out; it should not inflate the chest exaggeratedly as we are sometimes taught (improperly) in gym class, and it should not cause the shoulders to heave up and down unduly.

 

On the exhalation the abdomen should automatically deflate and relax. Practice this abdominal breathing, even watch yourself in the mirror to see that the chest is not acting more than the abdomen, until it becomes second nature. This is in fact the body's natural breath, so that anything which emphasizes chest expansion over abdomen is artificial, learned and inappropriate.
 

Note:

You may practice Charger Breathing every bit as much in a relatively polluted atmosphere like Los Angeles, as you can in relatively pollution-free environment like the country (if you can find a pollution-free country). It may seem that you'd be taking toxins and pollutants more deeply into the lungs than would ordinarily be the case; but chronic, superficial or shallow breathing takes all those pollutants in as well, and because it doesn't respire so deeply and thoroughly it fails to flush the alveoli of the bronchi, leaving harmful and carcinogenic pollutants to stagnate in the deeper strata of the lung-tissue.

 

Charger Breathing cleanses and purifies those tissues by bringing necessary quantities of oxygen to their cells which otherwise would not penetrate, and by flushing old impacted pockets of carcinogenic matter sedimenting the deeper layers of the system. In future issues of The New Thunderbird Chronicle we will describe further benefits and health-residuals to be obtained from practicing the Charger Breath.
 

Note:

Do not practice Charger Breathing in the car with the windows rolled up, or on the highway. You may feel after weeks of practice that you are past the point of hyperventilation, so that it would be safe to Breathe while driving. However, the automobile (and especially in conjunction with the freeway system) circulates exhaust fumes through the cab of the car; exhaust fumes are tricky, for you may do a long series of Charger Breaths in the car feeling no ill effects, no giddiness or blurring of perception, then stop for a few moments and suddenly feel the onrush of a fainting spell produced by the accumulated intake of fumes.

In the following months we will add to the technique and application of Power Breathing, with special reference to the cornerstone method of the Charger Breath. Look for us, and follow the special instruction we give to all, freely, in these pages month to month; follow the instruction as it's given, and you can't help but feel the resultant Change. In order to know what the great Change is that we're talking about, you must follow and do the practice.

Don't forget: Do your Charger Breathing daily. It is very important.

Make the Power Breath more popular than jogging.

 

Lesson Two

[First published in TNTC Vol. 1, No. 2 Aug.-Sept. '89]

For those who're coming to this column for the first time, we recommend you practice a few days on the preliminary Charger Breath before progressing to the current lesson.

A summary of that Breath is as follows: (until you become acclimated to the very tangible, strong, awakening power of this breath, we recommend that you practice it seated, in a comfortable chair which keeps the spine straight and vertical; face straight ahead, feet flat on floor, hands relaxed on knees or in lap).

Breathe very strongly, evenly and thoroughly through the nose, powerfully drawing the air in as deeply as possible; exhale through the nose with equal strength and thoroughness. This is characterized as a fierce breath. It should produce a loud rushing sound, like the steam blasts given off by old-time engines.

 

Do this fierce, pumping Charger Breath several times in a row; pause. Relax. Feel. Repeat. Do a few such repetitions of this basic cluster of Charger Breaths. Increase the number of breaths in a cluster, and then the number of repetitions of the—expanded—cluster (i.e., do five Charger Breaths, repeat this group five whole times with pause and relaxation between each group performance).

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Whole Charger Breath

1. Do all new breathing exercises sitting down at least the first several sessions of practice, regardless whether you've already practiced the previous variations.

 

This is because each modification of the basic breath, or each introduction of a supplemental technique, produces a different effect on the system (whether a strongly different or subtly different effect); even if you're thoroughly acclimated to the effects of previous exercises, this does not therefore "inoculate" you against the modified effects which each new lesson introduces.

 

Always sit with spine straight, clothes loose (or none), feet flat on floor, hands relaxed on knees or in lap. Fix your gaze on a point straight ahead to aid in concentration while performing the Breath.

2. Perform a succession of three powerful Charger Breaths, as you should be by now accustomed. Inhale strongly and sharply, thoroughly through the nose, then exhale with similar vigor, evenness and maximum expulsion of air also through the nose—except, this time, on the last repetition of the Charger Breath, the exhalation is to be performed through the mouth. To do this correctly, the lips should be compressed leaving only a very slight gap, virtually imperceptible to vision, through which the air of the exhalation is allowed to escape. This has the effect of greatly slowing the last exhalation.

 

The use of such scarcely-pursed lips regulates the flow of air much more dramatically and "voluntaristically" than can be done by breathing out through the nose. There are two basic ways of allowing this last exhalation of the series to take place: the breath may be expelled by a kind of deliberate pressure, i.e. actually blowing out through the slight gap of the lips; or it may be allowed to "ease" away as if on its own, the air being leaked very slowly and evenly by the natural contraction of the abdomen and consequent deflation of the diaphragm without any deliberate "blowing" on the part of the practitioner.

 

This last breath makes the final series-exhalation especially slow; and it is only when the escaping air has left the lungs in their normally-relaxed state that deliberate expulsion of the remaining CO² in the air sacs is called for, finishing off the final series-breath with a distinct, pressurized puff.

It is recommended that the practitioner favor the method of deliberately (though slowly) blowing the air through the lips on the last exhalation, at the beginning of each Whole Charger Breath session; but that, during the numerical increase of breath-clusters and series-repetitions in which the Breath is performed, the practitioner should gradually switch to the much slower method of allowing the air to simply "leak out" the tiny labial opening (like the scarcely perceptible leak of air from a minutely punctured balloon) on the automatic deflation of the diaphragm.

The reason for this progression has to do with the greater comfort experienced while "relaxing" the breath out of your system, the more saturated in surplus oxygen the system becomes; the further into your Charger Breath session, the more deeply you will have succeeded in altering the ratio of oxygen to CO² in the blood in favor of oxygen; therefore the less likelihood there is of feeling that faint "panic" for air that might otherwise be felt if you tried "leaking" the last series-breath at the beginning of your session.

3. Perform several complete rounds of the three Whole-Charger-Breaths always breathing through the nose, in and out, except on the last series-breath where you breathe very slowly, evenly and thoroughly out the mouth, through scarcely pursed lips. Pause, relax completely (always keeping spine and head straight) and feel at the end of each round, before proceeding to the next cluster of three Whole-Charger-Breaths.

 

Next, increase the number of breaths in a cluster (i.e., from 3 to 5, later from 5 to 7 etc.); and then increase the number of rounds each amplified series of Breaths is performed (i.e., from 3 rounds to 5, later from 5 to 7 etc.).

Remember: always breathe out through the mouth only on the last exhalation of the given series (for example, the three-breath series: in-nose, out-nose; in nose, out nose; in nose, out mouth—end of round). There is no "count", as in many breathing exercises, so don't worry about measuring the inhalations and exhalations against each other according to some standardized ratio (2 to 4 etc.).

After practicing in the seated position several times during each day, you will have succeeded in pushing back the threshold of possible hyperventilation to the degree that you can perform the Whole-Charger-Breath randomly, while walking, standing etc.

You should resort to this random charge-up often. You'll find it makes you feel better in general, more alert and vigorous in particular, with a balanced amplification of the overall sense of poise, ease, confidence and well-being.

Best of all, this practice sets the first (though necessary) foundation-tiles for succeeding months' instruction in which you'll learn to apply the Breath and its modifications for important work in rousing dormant faculties and functions, sparking higher agencies of psychic, emotional, mental and spiritual potential while speeding the harmonious integration of whole-Being systems and circuits for improved health and a deeper, more essential happiness.

But you must keep up your practice daily. Maintain a diary or calendar to remind yourself, and to record your successes in meeting your schedule with the Power Breath. Also, leave helpful notes and messages around the house (taped to the refrigerator, wedged in the mirror-frame), in the car (visor, dashboard) and even at work (fixed to the file-cabinet, under the glass of the desktop). Such messages can simply remind you: BREATHE!

Follow the instruction as it's given, and you can't help but feel the resultant Change. In order to know what the great Change is that we're talking about, you must follow and do the practice. Don't forget: do your Charger Breathing daily. It's very important. Make the Power Breath more popular than jogging.

Do you have any questions about your practice of the Power Breathing techniques? Any observations you'd like to share? We'd welcome hearing from you, so simply address your remarks or questions to Letters to the Editor: The New Thunderbird Chronicle, 15237 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 29, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

We'll toy to respond to any significant questions you may have, either in the monthly Power Breathing column itself or in Letters to the Editor.

Lesson Three

[First published in TNTC Vol. 1, No. 5 Dec. '89]

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Tips For The Balance

From our recent enjoyable experience at the Expo, we find that many have begun a conscientious practice of daily Power Breathing as taken right out of these pages; many others should now be encouraged to join the practice having been initiated directly into its healthy, rejuvenating and Awakening benefits.

We find (in speaking with people, fielding questions or simply hearing general comments) that, once having overcome the plain inertia discussed in our very first lesson as the principal impediment to even trying the easy methodology, the inherent effectiveness and immediacy of the practice encourages quickly turning up the front-burners of enthusiasm.

Thus those who've experienced even the preliminary, first-time uplift of the practice sense a self-renewal stirring suddenly inside that's so innately exciting they wish to know immediately how to extract all the gold out of their newly discovered Mine. It's to this question that we address our (abbreviated) column this month.

Though you're sure to feel that, if just a little of this breathing regimen does so much and moves your systems so far then a lot must portend some rapid and inconceivable Transformation, it's wise to allow the practice to open all the centers and energetic lines in a natural, balanced way. Your systems know, and can certainly tell you, how much you're capable of absorbing and efficiently processing at one tune; but it is possible, in an overriding rush of enthusiasm, to push the practice down a long-distance stretch right away thus forcing into far zones before the cues of your system have a chance to register.

This inordinate enthusiasm, perhaps fueled by the gratifying upsurge of additional energy but coupled to a long-starving psyche just now realizing the extent of its deprivation and wishing to "make up for lost time", may serve temporarily to overtax the present capacities of your system.

The common result may be,

No. 1: Unnecessary extremes of hyperventilation

As was explained at our lecture-demonstration at the Expo, "hyperventilation" is only an initial effect or potential of applying the Power Breathing regimen; the light-headedness you may experience at first progressively diminishes with practice. It results in any case from the increase of energy—produced by the Charger Breath—driving the consciousness-systems to the ceiling of their current (conditioned) capacity for sustaining the minimum degree of focal resolution necessary to maintain effective alignment with the "waking" zone of common perceptual coherence.

 

Those systems are temporarily pushed past the ordinary threshold separating the narrow-band waking zone of consciousness from the more diffuse medium of psychic energy-processing in which the concentrated spark of self-reflective awareness has yet to be struck. That "region" of energization in which the ordinary low-level harmony supportive of—normal—self-reflective awareness tends to dissipate, accompanied by the seeming "swoon" of that awareness, represents the pons asinorum in the present intersection of your optimal "conscious lights" with the zone of your greater Being (presently understood as subconscious, and only "known" by reflection from fragments reclaimed out of the dream-state).

Progressive, balanced and unhurried practice of the Whole Charger Breath (in conjunction with supplemental techniques you'll be receiving in the following months, or those specialized meditative practices available on tape through Southern Crown) will serve unerringly to push back that threshold of hyperventilation.

 

In this way increasingly integral, intensified values of self-reflective consciousness are installed in the place of that threshold so as to constitute a continuous salient into the frontiers of formerly "subconscious" regions—or dimensions of the greater Being—making them available to consciousness and progressively incorporating their functional values as accessible agencies of the "ordinary" waking state. In this way the phenomenon of "hyperventilation" has progressively less to do with the effects experienced as a consequence of consciously applying the Charger Breathing regimen.
 

 

No. 2

The second common result of (understandably) "overdoing it" at first in the initial burst of enthusiasm, is that of straining facial or neck muscles. If you've overdone it to the degree that portions of your face, head, neck or back of the head seem to go numb, simply relax, sit still and breathe normally; it's a temporary effect and swiftly recedes. Similarly, if you've failed to be punctilious in these precautions and seem to have strained some muscle or tissue (typically, facial muscles or buccal tissue) again, relax and resume normal breathing.

 

You may have to desist from practicing the Charger Breath with any real vigor or energetic force for a few days until the strain relaxes. These types of over-exertion are minor and transitory disturbances. They do not happen at all when the practitioner conscientiously monitors the response of his systems to those increments of the practice he's assumed according to instruction.

You may find that "progress" in the overall strengthening of tissue and muscle groups and the receding of the hyperventilation-threshold enabling more extensive application of the practice, seems "uneven"; it may increase smoothly at a clip and then suddenly seem to hit a "hill"; you may find yourself remaining at a particular number of repetitions and rounds (say, a 7-breath set for 7 rounds) for a much longer time than was the case with previous sets and rounds, as if having come to an impasse. You should enjoy this provisional "upper limit" for as long as it seems fixed, and refrain from impatience.

 

There is no contest to "mount to ever-expanding heights of hyper-intensive breathing". Cooperate with the inherent wisdom of your systems—just don't let lethargy, the fickleness of psychological mood or conceptual restraint dictate to you in the pretext that they speak for your actual energy-processes and mind-body systems.
 

 

No. 3

The third common result of overpracticing the Power Breath, is the onset of a minor temporary "headache". This is a result of energy-concentration produced in amplification of the carrying "current", but processed through ordinary avenues belonging to relatively imbalanced circuits of the system that haven't benefited as yet from the greater harmony which measured application of the technique over time inevitably yields.

 

Interestingly, the balanced and intelligently graduated practice of the Whole Charger Breath serves ultimately to relieve even long-time difficulties involving headaches, including migraines. This isn't so difficult to understand, once we note that medical research ascribes the general symptomatology of "migraines" to a pathological condition of local oxygen-deprivation.

Always remember, then, to apply yourself steadily, conscientiously and wisely to the daily practice of Power Breathing.

Your enjoyment will increase, your enthusiasm will increase, and ultimately a balanced and harmonious outlook will arise through which you may successfully apply yourself, extracting maximum benefits from the Charger-Breathing techniques in the most economic span of time compatible with smooth natural progress.

Therefore enjoy your practice.