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The oxygen in the breath is filtered through these air sacs into the blood vessels, which carry this enriched blood to the heart to be pumped to all parts of the body. The blood vessels also bring impure blood, loaded with carbon dioxide, to be exhaled with the breath from the lungs. Visualize this exchange also. For the next few minutes follow each inhalation from the nostrils to the lungs, then the exhalation from the lungs to the nostrils. Become intimately attuned to every detail of the breath, from the flow of air in the nasal passages to the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the alveoli. Now extend your awareness even further. Breathing also occurs in each and every cell of the body. Feel the oxygenated blood flowing from the lungs into the heart and then being pumped to every portion of the body, to the deepest internal organs and the furthest extremities. Expand the awareness into every cell. Experience the respiration to its fullest extent, both external and internal. End the practice and switch back to normal breathing. Bring the awareness back to the body. Slowly become aware of the external environment.
Sensitizing the lungs The following two methods stretch the chest cavity, allowing for greater movement of the lungs. They are useful for chest development, preparation for pranayama, or to develop greater awareness of the movement of the lungs inside the ribcage. The first technique develops awareness of expansion in each lung separately.
Technique l: awareness of each lung separately
Sit in vajrasana with the head and spine in one straight line. Interlock the fingers behind your neck and bend from the waist to the right side as far as is comfortable, without hunching the shoulders or bending forward.
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