Nothing is more important than breathing for maintaining life, and it should be given much more attention than is customary. This may be done not only by practicing the special and general breathing exercises for several minutes one or several times daily, but also by acquiring the habit of proper breathing all the time. It is a curious fact that when the stomach is in need of more food, it is filled and sometimes to excess, but although the lungs are always in need of more air, they are mostly only filled about one-half and not completely, and this in spite of the fact that air is one of the few gifts of life.
In order that the reader may notice the effect of proper natural breathing and to acquire the habit, it may be advisable to try the following experiment:
Place a watch nearby. Breathe slowly, deeply and regularly for one or several minutes, inhaling the air each time through the nose and exhaling it either the same way or through both nose and mouth simultaneously. From twelve to sixteen respirations should be done per minute.
Try occasionally to breathe with the diaphragm, that is, instead of first allowing the chest to expand, when inhaling, push the abdomen and diaphragm out first during the beginning of the inhalation and the chest during the latter half part of it. This is beneficial for all the digestive organs and their nerves. The most important thing is to breathe deeply, so that the air also reaches the bottom or points of the lungs. Of course, twelve or sixteen respirations can be taken per minute and the lungs become only half-filled just the same. This will
