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2 Japanese Techniques That Relax the Nervous System and Reduce Stress
A lot can happen in 5 minutes
Breathing exercises date back 7,000 years ago and they originate from yogis in the Himalayas.
However, they are also found in other ancient cultures such as China, Japan, Egypt, Tibet, Sufism, and Indigenous communities found in Australia, the Amazon, Native America, and Africa.
The phenomenon of ideas happening at the same time from people living miles away from each other is called “simultaneous invention” or “multiple discovery.” It’s the idea that people in different places — often without any direct contact — can come up with the same idea, invention, or insight at the same time.
For example, both Newton and Leibniz developed calculus around the same time.
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace both independently developed the theory of natural selection in 1858.
And Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray filed patents for the telephone on the same day in 1876.
I mostly share pranayama exercises that originate from India. But today, I’d like to offer two breathing exercises that come from another ancient lineage from a similar time: Japan.
