BREATH AND BREATHING. The concept of breath figures prominently in the development of thought in many religions. Egyptian ka, Hebrew nefesh and ruah, Greek psuchē and pneuma, Latin anima and spiritus, Sanskrit prana, Chinese qi, Polynesian mana, and Iroquoian orenda all demonstrate that the theme of breath has had a major place in humanity's quest for religious understanding. Moreover, theological conceptions of breath have led many of the world's traditions to feature respiratory exercises in their religious disciplines, especially in Asia and among groups influenced directly or indirectly by practices from the Indian subcontinent.

Breath and the Religious Understanding of Humanity

The centrality of breath in defining humanity has focused on understanding what it is that gives humans life and under what circumstances humans define their own deaths. Moreover, the theme of breath, along with related notions of vitality and energy, has been associated...