The following article is from the February edition of NEW FRONTIER Magazine C1994, NEW FRONTIER Magazine.  Subscriptions $18/yr, $30/2yrs, $38/yr foreign & Canada/Mexico.  NEW FRONTIER MAGAZINE, 101 Cuthbert St., Phila., PA 19106

EXPAND YOUR INTELLLIGENCE
...by Holding Your Breath?
By Gael & Patrick Flanagan

A very simple exercise may lead to increased brain capacity and increased
overall energy and well being.  This exercise takes very little time, but
the results are truly remarkable.

When Albert Einstein's brain was analyzed, the only difference between his
brain and an ordinary person's brain was that Einstein's brain had a larger
number of cells known as glial cells. This means that Einstein's brain was
more vascular (had more blood flow) and this meant that his brain received
more oxygen than most brains. The greater the blood flow to the brain, the
greater the oxygenation, the greater the neural networks and the higher the
Intelligence.  We can all increase our brain's vascularity.

In 1974, we met a Sufi Master from Istanbul by the name of Hassan Shushud.
He spent some time with us and taught a special breathing exercise that he
said would lead to higher consciousness.  His breathing exercise was very
simple, but it had powerful effects on the body and the mind.

His exercise was to first breathe out all the air from your lungs in three
stages, emptying the top, middle, and finally the lower lungs. Then breathe
in from the bottom up, first filling the lower lungs, then the middle lungs
and finally the top portion.  He then told us to our breath for as long as
we could, until we had a desperate need for air.  We were to repeat the
exercise again.  He told us to hold my breath this way for as long as I
could over a period of thirty minutes, and also told us to do this exercise
every day as a form of meditation.

We found that after several months, we could hold our breath for longer and
longer periods of time.  We felt better and stronger.  Patrick had built a
device that is known as a ballistic cardiometer.  This device plots the flow
of blood throughout the body in a dynamic way.  When he hooked himself up to
the cardiometer and performed Hassan Shushud's exercise, the cardiometer
showed that his blood flow increased significantly throughout his entire body
and most especially the brain.

At that point, we read a book by a medical researcher, Dr. Glen Doman, on how
to increase the brain capacity in brain damaged children.  Dr. Doman used a
special technique called "masking" to increase blood flow to the brain.  It
seems that the brain needs blood and oxygen more than any other organ in the
body.  We have special sensing devices at the base of the skull that measure
the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood.  If the level of carbon dioxide
goes up too high, these sensors cause the arteries and blood vessels in the
brain to dilate to twice their normal capacity. This causes more blood and
oxygen to reach the brain.  This "carotid reflex" keeps the arteries open
for thirty minutes after the crisis has passed.  Dr. Doman used this reflex
to exercise the arteries and to get more blood to the brain. When we increase
blood flow to the brain over a long period of time, the brain responds by
growing more vascular and by increasing the gliaal cell numbers.  In the
process of masking, a mask or paper bag was held over the child's face.
This forced the child to re-breath his own air for about one minute.  This
process increases the carbon dioxide in the blood and triggers the carotid
reflex.  Dr. Doman found that if masking were performed once every half hour,
all day long, that within a short period of time the brain was able to create
new circuitry that compensated for brain damage.

We immediately realized that the effect of the Sufi exercise was to trigger
the carotid reflex.  By holding our breath, we were getting the same result
as masking.  Our research indicated that this process was good for the entire
body. We also discovered that, when the carotid reflex was triggered, that our
brains switched on a powerful 8 cycle per second alpha rhythm.

If this simple reflex could heal a brain damaged child, what could it do for
an adult with a "normal" brain?  Make us all into Einsteins?  One thing is
certain, these techniques increase feelings of well being and have profound
effects on our energy levels.

If we are sleepy and need to "wake up" we either mask ourselves with a paper
bag or hold my breath for as long as we can for several cycles.  The effect on
alertness and energy is absolutely astounding!

When Patrick discussed his research with Dr. Doman over the telephone, Doman
told him that he had started masking himself several times a day.  He told
Patrick that the process is the only known way to exercise the arteries in the
brain. The arteries expand and contract as a result of the process.  He told me
that this process would hopefully keep his arteries flexible and clean so that
he would not have to suffer from "hardening of the arteries."

One thing is certain, the process works.  It has a profound effect on
consciousness, it increases energy, it causes the generation of brain waves that
are usually only seen in Zen masters.  The process probably has a profound
effect on generating beneficial brain peptides.  Finally, it may cause our glial
cells to increase in number and thus increase our own intelligence.

Patrick and Gael Crystal Flanagan are research medical doctors and
metaphysicians.  If you wish more information, you can contact them at 1109 S.
Plaza Way, Suite 399, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.