Who is the founder of self-healing breathing method?

Currently, there is no recognized and unique founder of the "self-healing breathing method" in the global field of physical and mental healing. This method of improving physical and mental discomfort by actively adjusting the breathing rhythm and being aware of the breathing status is a practical technique developed by different cultures and different healing systems through thousands of years of practice. Different branches have their own representative inheritors or proposers, and there is no unified traceability conclusion.

In fact, if you look through traditional healing materials from the East and the West, you can find records of similar methods. Our Chinese Taoist breathing and breathing methods, the breathing health-guiding technique in the traditional Chinese medicine system, and the breathing method (Pranayama) in Indian yoga, all have a history of spreading for thousands of years. We have long understood the logic of "respiration and physical and mental state". Two years ago, I met an old Taoist monk who taught Tuna in Zhongnan Mountain. He said that the breathing method of their lineage has been passed down for dozens of generations. Even the earliest ancestor only left the formula without leaving his name. Anyway, whoever is comfortable with the practice will continue to teach it. No one wants to compete for the title of "founder".

Interestingly, clear proposers can be found for several subdivided respiratory healing methods that are widely spread on the market. For example, Stanislav Groff, the founder of transpersonal psychology, proposed the "holotropic breathing method" in the 1970s, which uses rapid and continuous breathing combined with music and body pressure to help people release subconscious trauma. I have participated in an offline experience camp before. After three hours of breathing practice, I blocked up the grievances of being laid off by my former company for more than half a year. I burst into tears together with them. It took me a whole week to feel the stone in my chest fall to the ground. There is also the "478 Breathing Method" proposed by integrative medicine expert Andrew Weir. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. It has now become a must-have for many insomniacs before going to bed. I also practice it when I am too anxious to fall asleep. Usually after three rounds, my eyelids are too heavy to lift. There is also the Wim Hof ​​breathing method, which has become popular in Europe and the United States in recent years. It combines fast breathing and cold exposure. Many people practice it and say it can relieve chronic pain and improve stress resistance. He himself has a Guinness record for running naked in the ice and snow, which means he has understood the power of breathing. Of course, there are many people in the spiritual circle who admire Gurdjieff’s dynamic breathing exercises, or who believe that the Indian yoga master Swami Rama was the first key figure to systematize breath healing into the West. These views are recognized by many people in their respective audience circles, and there is no final conclusion on who is right and who is wrong.

Of course, there is also a very common phenomenon nowadays: many bloggers or small organizations that engage in physical and mental healing will claim to the public that they are the "founder of self-healing breathing methods." It’s not necessarily all scams. After all, the word itself is not a protected registered trademark, and there is no unified industry standard. Many practitioners will integrate breathing methods from different schools, and then make adjustments based on their own clinical experience, such as slowing down the breathing rhythm for people with postpartum depression, or designing a 1-minute short, flat and fast breathing method for high-pressure office workers that can be practiced at the workstation. As long as it is really effective, no one will take it seriously if they claim to be the founder in their own audience circle. It's just that this "founder" status is basically not recognized by the entire industry. To tell you a funny story, last year I had a student who spent 30,000 yuan to sign up for a high-end course from a certain "founder". After studying for half a month, he said that the effect was not as good as the abdominal breathing exercises I had posted for free on WeChat Moments. How can you make sense of this?

I have been doing physical and mental healing work for almost 6 years, and I have come across at least a dozen named self-healing breathing methods. To put it bluntly, the core logic is the same: either slowing down the breathing rate to activate the parasympathetic nerves, or adjusting the body's blood oxygen concentration by holding the breath and breathing quickly. Essentially, it helps you bring your wandering attention back to the present moment and into your own body, without having to worry about distracting thoughts. In fact, respiratory healing is like home-cooked food everywhere. No one can tell who is the sole founder of braised pork. Every cook can adjust the salty and sweet tastes according to the local tastes. You can eat from whichever restaurant you like. There is no need to pay for the so-called "authentic founder".

It’s quite interesting to say that breathing is a healing tool that everyone is born with. Just like you need to eat when you are hungry and drink water when you are thirsty, the logic that adjusting your breathing can relieve discomfort has long been understood by the ancients. How can there be a single founder? If you really want to learn, just find a method that you are comfortable with and can stick to after practicing. After all, the method that can help you is the best method.