I’d like to suggest a breathing exercise from the Mazdaznan tradition to boost your health and manage your energy.

We arrive in this world and leave with a breath.

Breathing is the most natural thing in the world; breathing consciously is one of the most beneficial things in the world. And powerful, I might add.
Everyone knows the importance of breathing: without it, we would die. We realize this especially today, now that we are required to wear masks, whereas before the pandemic we might have taken it somewhat for granted.

If we think about it, the first breath opens the cycle of life, the last closes it. Classical medicine in ancient Greece considered Pneuma, that is the air, and Ignis, or fire—fundamental elements for the existence of life. Many cultures and traditions use breathing as a tool for personal health and harmony; one need only consider the *Prana* of Yoga, Zen breathing, or the breathing techniques found in various martial arts.

Breathing as a philosophy and lifestyle

Few are familiar with the Mazdaznan, a system also known as Neo-Zoroastrianism, created and adopted—both as a philosophy and as a way of life—by a community that existed prior to World War II and is now virtually extinct.

It was founded by Dr. Otto Hanisch (Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha’nisch, born in Tehran and a resident of America), whose thought can be summarized by the principle that “Man is in God and God is in man.”

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest and most mysterious teachings still in existence today—dating back some 4,000 years—and is one of the world's smallest religions, founded by Zarathustra and possessing mysterious origins.
Once widespread primarily in Persia, today there are two main groups of Zoroastrians: the Iranians and the Parsis. Yet, despite its obscurity, its influence continues to be felt: concepts such as heaven and hell, the Day of Judgment and final revelation, human beings as free moral agents, free will, and angels and demons all originated in the school of Zarathustra. 

Mazdaznan is a shortened form of the ancient Persian word "Mazdayaznan" and signifies "Master Thought"—a concept that governs and encompasses everything: thought, word, and deed. It represents the great, good, and divine thought that strives for realization. Mazdaznan champions all that is good, beautiful, and noble. To touch briefly upon the system's teachings, the breath constitutes the fundamental physical principle of the entire philosophy. According to the Mazdaznan discipline, the key to wisdom lies in the power of the breath—harnessed through diligent daily practice—which not only enhances our ability to meet the demands of the moment but can also contribute to resolving life's most perplexing problems.

In the Mazdaznan tradition, breathing represents more than just an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide; it is the means by which human beings assimilate vital energy.

Otoman Zar-Adusht Hanish argued that: Man does not live by what he eats, but by what he manages to assimilate.

Assimilation begins with the breath itself. According to this tradition, proper breathing enhances vitality, mental clarity, emotional balance, nervous strength, and the ability to concentrate. Summer, with its abundance of sunlight, is the ideal time to retrain this natural function.

Mazdaznan brings joy, freedom, and emancipation.
Mazdaznan reveals a systematic method of breathing that moves the negative forces within the body, transforming the currents into positive actions, producing a life-giving power that gives consciousness to one's individuality, giving joy, freedom and emancipation.

According to this approach, one must learn to breathing consciously to draw in this vital essenceWithout a deep, inner desire to draw in the power of the breath, one never receives it, even though it is always available as a fundamental principle within one's own being.

One is unaware of it because one does not recognize its presence. Its presence is known and felt only when one focuses on it and feels the desire to attain it.
The basic guideline is very simple: with every breath—that is, with every inhalation and exhalation—you must be conscious of yourself.

The forgotten breath
To speak of breathing is to speak of life. We breathe about twenty thousand times a day without even noticing. When we are stressed, our breathing becomes shallow, rapid, and high in the chest. When we are at ease, it spontaneously becomes deep. In particular, When we are anxious, breathing can be a key factor..

Breathing therefore represents one of the few bridges through which we can voluntarily influence our nervous system. Numerous studies show that slow, conscious breathing promotes the activation of the parasympathetic system, helping to reduce stress, heart rate, and tension.

Master your mind through breathing
Deep, rhythmic breathing—like various other exercises—can be manipulated to achieve desired results. The idea is to use the breath to teach the mind how to fully master—metaphorically speaking—the "full" (during inhalation) and the "empty" (during exhalation), the plus and the minus, the all and the nothing. We learn both to take and to let go by regulating the intake, retention, and release of air.

Modern man struggles greatly to let go. Various studies have shown that while he is capable of inhaling and holding his breath with all his might, he only partially completes the exhalation phase; in effect, he holds onto air and holds onto things—he has trouble letting go.

To promote physical growth, one should use long exhalations; to enhance certain talents, one should hold the breath for a longer period after deep inhalations. By reversing this process and holding the breath after long exhalations, a state of inspiration will develop, leading to the revelation of unknown things that are useful in the daily journey of life.

Inner work to understand the body's functions
Just as a musician must practice their technique daily before attempting to master a composition, so too must the individual manipulate the keyboard of their physical body through the scientific application and mental control of the breath as it enters the three lobes of the lungs—the upper or thoracic lobes, the diaphragmatic lobes, and the posterior lobes.

Knowledge of nature's operations within the human structure cannot be acquired in a day, but must be studied with concentration and unity of purpose over many years.

What is the aim of Yima, conscious breathing?  
This exercise is called Yima and employs rhythmic breathing. It is highly effective when you feel lethargy setting in and your energy waning. To derive the greatest possible benefit, you must pay attention to the moment immediately following inhalation—when the breath is held—and to the pause right after exhalation, known as the "arrest." These breath-holds and pauses are the most crucial elements of the breathing process.

When one is conscious of the breath retention immediately following exhalation, the inhaled air is first concentrated; then, through exhalation and the subsequent pause, the elements of the air and the chemical compounds undergo a transformation that enables the purification of the blood, thereby converting venous blood into arterial blood.

Doctors know that moments of breath retention and suspension strengthen and reinforce lung cells and heart muscles.

Practice

1. Sit upright; it makes things easier. 
2. Lift your chest; hold the chest wall in position while your body muscles relax. Perform the exercise in a relaxed manner, without strain. 
3. Place the tip of your tongue against your lower teeth; stay relaxed and without moving any facial muscles.
4. Fix your eyes on a point of your choice in front of you at eye level and clear your mind of all thoughts.
5. Slowly empty your lungs, relaxing your body. Continue breathing gently—slowly, yet steadily. Exhale fully, until it feels like you cannot exhale any further.
6. Once all the air has been exhaled, pause and hold still, counting mentally to ten for now (as you practice, you can increase this to twenty or thirty), while remaining relaxed. If you find this difficult and need to inhale, go ahead, but keep your chest lifted and the rest of your body relaxed.
7. Now inhale and let go of every part except the chest, which must remain still like a wall.
8. And now exhale again, as before—slowly, gently, persistently—until it seems you can exhale no more.
9. Stop all movement again for ten, twenty, or thirty seconds or more before inhaling.
10. Repeat three to five times.

Repeating this exercise every three hours promotes the normalization of the blood through proper circulation—bringing with it all the benefits you can imagine, most notably the restoration of vitality. It is a godsend if you live in a particularly polluted area; if you are required to wear a mask for long periods, practicing it daily also helps counteract the effects of breathing in a confined space for hours on end.

If you like it—and experience immediate benefits—and want to continue with the Mazdaznan practice, I also suggest this mindful breathing exercise.

Perhaps the most precious memory we can bring back from a vacation is a new way of breathing. Because when our breathing changes, our heart rhythm changes. And when our heart rhythm changes, the way we inhabit the world changes, too.

Learn More:
Stephen W. Porges, The Polyvagal Theory. Norton.
Jerath R. et al. “Physiology of long pranayamic breathing.” Medical Hypotheses, 2006.
Russo M.A. et al. “The physiological effects of slow breathing.” Breathe, 2017.
David Ammann, Mazdaznan: Health, Breath and Spiritual Development.
Historical magazines of the Mazdaznan movement (first half of the 20th century).