Chapter Four: Breathing Pure Air

Proper, deep, and prolonged breathing in fresh, healthy air constitutes a cornerstone of physical well-being and serves as the most vital sustenance, directly nourishing the human soul. It sustains life and vitality, shaping the quality of both the body and the inner self.

Correct breathing is achieved through physical exercise, particularly mountaineering or other bodily activities, alongside maintaining hygiene of the mouth, nose, and respiratory passages.

The optimal time for healthy breathing in fresh air is during the early morning, when the morning breeze carries the purest and freshest air. The three human attributes—life, movement, and speed—gain quality through morning breathing. The use of fresh, suitable air, combined with nutritious food, can prevent bone pain and knee discomfort.

A restful morning sleep primes the body for readiness, and proper morning breathing possesses the remarkable capacity to swiftly restore bodily vitality. This restoration, paired with gentle exercise and daily stretching, imparts balanced movement and speed to the body.

In the context of self-care, breathing pure air is not merely a natural necessity but can also serve as a medicinal and therapeutic practice. The use of open air is effective in treating certain ailments. Contemporary science has formalized “hydrotherapy” and addresses malnutrition, yet “aerotherapy” has not been adequately recognized as a widespread cultural practice, nor has sufficient attention been given to avoiding improper breathing or the consumption of impure air. Air possesses greater penetrative power than water and can be more effective in treating illnesses. In nutrition, air surpasses water, and water surpasses food in importance and efficacy.

Breathing pure air and practicing deep, prolonged breathing are directly correlated with enhanced quality of life and increased longevity.

Deep and Prolonged Breathing

Breathing must be deep and sustained. Air is drawn deeply through the nose, filling the lungs, abdomen, skin, and indeed the entire body with the maximum volume of air, allowing it to circulate throughout (rather than merely causing the abdomen to protrude due to air intake). Exhalation is expelled through the mouth. In deep breathing, inhalation through the nose lasts five to ten seconds, the breath is held for five to ten seconds, and exhalation through the mouth extends for five to ten seconds.

Engaging in deep, prolonged (diaphragmatic) breathing exercises enhances oxygenation of the body, improves respiratory system function, reduces cortisol levels and stress, strengthens mental focus and tranquility, lowers blood pressure, and supports the parasympathetic nervous system (a component of the autonomic nervous system).

Breathing exercises represent the primary physical practice for achieving spiritual well-being. The body’s ability to withstand external cold, heat, or irregular conditions stems from mastery of deep, prolonged breathing that circulates throughout the body. In such a state, the body becomes supple, agile, swift, and resilient.

Numerous ailments—such as melancholy, physical weakness, obsessive thoughts, and mental restlessness—arise from inadequate, shallow breathing. Incomplete, short, and interrupted breathing dulls skin tone, causes wrinkles, weakens the heart, induces chest pain, slows atrial function, elevates blood pressure, disrupts vascular function, and causes abdominal discomfort.

To achieve healthy breathing, one must maintain healthy lungs and active, vibrant air sacs. Partial or incomplete inhalation and exhalation are indicative of weak lungs and inactive air sacs.

To cultivate deep, prolonged breathing, ten to fifteen minutes of daily exercise is necessary to accustom the body to sustained breathing through movement, effort, and perspiration. Both exercise and breathing practice are essential to make deep breathing an involuntary habit of the body.

While seated, posture should ensure that the lungs remain uncontracted and unwrinkled. The position of the chest and abdomen during sitting significantly affects healthy, prolonged breathing.

Individuals with partial, incomplete breathing who do not exercise to hold their breath for brief periods often wear loose trousers and walk sluggishly, lacking vitality. Such individuals are at heightened risk of cardiac events and strokes.

To achieve healthy, prolonged breathing, one must engage in exercise, live in an environment with fresh, healthy air, and maintain a direct, vibrant connection with such air.

Breathing through the nose allows air to be moistened in the nasal passages, enabling the lungs to process humidified air. In contrast, breathing through the mouth does not humidify the air, as saliva, due to its density, does not blend with the air to moisten it. The nose filters, warms, and humidifies air, which is beneficial for lung health. Oral breathing lacks these benefits and may dry out the respiratory passages.

For deep, healthy breathing, the stomach should be expanded and filled with air, akin to inflating a balloon. Longevity is tied to the expansiveness and flexibility of the stomach, intestines, blood vessels, and nerves, which, like the placenta in a pregnant mother’s womb, are vitalized by prolonged, healthy breathing in pure air. Exercise fully opens the lungs and facilitates cooling, resulting in a sensation of inner and emotional realignment as breathing is perfected. Just as a computer’s CPU overheats without functioning fans, the human body’s cooling mechanism is its lungs.

Prolonged breathing enhances eyesight, regulates blood pressure, strengthens the heart, and opens cardiac valves and blood vessels.

To manage hypertension, exercise is essential to ensure prolonged, healthy breathing. As will be discussed, rolling on the ground is the most fundamental form of exercise, surpassing even weightlifting in value. Donkeys habitually roll in the dirt, which contributes to their remarkably prolonged and resonant breathing, resulting in their distinctive, full-toned bray, aligned with the Bayat musical mode.

In healthy, prolonged breathing, air must not be polluted, stagnant, moldy, or carbon-laden; it should be fresh and rich in oxygen. Consuming impure air is gradually lethal, systematically impairing bodily organs.

Air pollution contributes to memory impairment, learning difficulties, inability to focus, and reduced cognitive capacity, while also causing feelings of suffocation, discomfort, depression, stress, apathy, and diminished resilience against illnesses. Air pollution is associated with respiratory diseases (such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], a group of progressive lung conditions that restrict airflow and complicate breathing), cardiovascular diseases, and even neurological disorders (such as dementia). Studies indicate that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream due to their small size, leading to cognitive decline, reduced concentration, and increased risks of depression and anxiety.

During winter, a vent must be maintained to allow access to fresh outdoor air, with doors or windows slightly ajar. The flame of heaters, radiators, fan coils, or other heating devices should not be excessively high.

In polluted or stale air, deep breathing should be avoided to prevent microbes from penetrating deep into the body; instead, shallow breathing should be used to expel contaminants upon entry. To assess pollution levels, one should observe from a higher vantage point downward to gauge the extent of contamination. Breathing polluted air is akin to injecting microbes into the body, and the remedy lies in deep breathing in open, pure air. Regrettably, due to negligence in environmental preservation and the failure to curb pollutants, air pollution now engulfs not only Tehran but also the northern regions of the country.

A pressing contemporary issue is the inhalation of polluted air. Dry, polluted air is even more harmful, increasing mortality rates. Currently, deaths attributable to air pollution receive insufficient attention and are underreported.

The most potent elixir for vitality, vigor, and longevity is the use of free, healthy, and pure air. Breathing pure air and practicing prolonged, deep breathing serve as nourishment for the body. By consuming pure air, one can fill the stomach, thereby preventing overeating, weight gain, and obesity. Traveling to a region with clean, fresh air and practicing deep breathing in such an environment can alleviate hunger.

Air, like paper, is easily corrupted and polluted. In enclosed spaces, air subjected to the heat of heaters or other warming devices becomes cooked, burnt, spoiled, polluted, and hazardous. Such air can trigger irritation, cancer, or other severe illnesses.

The eyes and lungs, to optimize their nutritional intake, must not be deprived of the open sky. An individual who does not consume fresh, free air and severs their direct connection with the sky—neither seeing it nor breathing its air—is akin to an upright, animated corpse entombed in a grave of unhealthy, polluted air.

Hygiene of Respiratory Passages

Beyond the purity of air, the respiratory pathways—namely the mouth, nose, tongue, teeth, and the area behind the tonsils—must remain clean, with their hygiene diligently maintained. Contaminants and harmful substances in these passages mix with inhaled air, polluting the body and its inner essence.

Inhaling and consuming fresh, pure air through clean and healthy pathways is invigorating, fostering strength and bodily resilience.

As many diseases enter the body through the air via the nose and mouth, disinfecting these areas can prevent infections. To this end, one may dissolve a teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water and use it daily, or at least every three days, either by gargling or dripping it into the nose. Alternatively, nasal irrigation with saline solutions (saltwater) can reduce microbial load, remove allergens, and alleviate inflammation in the respiratory passages, thereby preventing respiratory infections, improving breathing quality, and reducing airway inflammation.

Gargling or rinsing the nasal passages with a mixture of water and lemon juice helps prevent pulmonary diseases. The nose serves as the primary respiratory conduit, and disinfecting this passage ensures that pure air reaches the lungs and, ultimately, the heart, contributing to cardiovascular health.

Contamination from Saliva

Spitting in public spaces contaminates the environment and exposes individuals to various pathogenic microbes. Saliva can carry pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, and spitting in public areas increases the risk of transmitting infectious diseases. Under sunlight, saliva decomposes and disperses, with its contaminants entering the body—particularly the lungs and stomach—through air, breathing, and inhalation, subjecting individuals to microbial infections.

Maintaining oral hygiene through the use of natural mouthwashes and regular brushing reduces the risk of oral and gastrointestinal infections and improves oral health. Oral hygiene lowers the presence of pathogenic bacteria, thereby decreasing the likelihood of oral infections. The importance of natural mouthwashes in preserving the oral microbiome has also been emphasized.