Zen and the Art of Nose Breathing

“Did you know that humans breathe out of one nostril more than the other?” This was the question posed by Marcos Vallias to a group of college students visiting Agarthy, Marcos' zen preserve in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The answer from the group was a unanimous, “huh?” as they began the first in a series of breathing exercises led by Marcos, intended to wake the bodies of thirteen individuals who had been abruptly woken by a gong at 6am. Among the planned activities that day was a 2.5 kilometer hike to a rare waterfall, into which Marcos said “each must find their own way”. But first, they had to breathe.

Breathe they did, and after a few rounds of inhaling through alternating nostrils, followed by vigorous nose inhalation/exhalation, the group was surprisingly alert. “The breathing exercise really woke me up,” said Professor Nathan Darrity.

Before so much as sniffing at a cup of coffee, the EJB group had gathered in the center of the Earth temple, surrounded by paintings and sculptures representing the pantheons of many faiths, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. An interfaith worship room, it was one of several such temples scattered across the roughly forty thousand hectares of land on the preserve. The preserve, called Agarthy, was owned by Marcos, a former businessman who found himself on a self-described journey of awakening.

“I climbed to the top of every mountain I could find, looking for god,” Said Marcos. But what Marcos was looking for externally, he found within. That was part of the reason for creating Agarthy, a beautiful, sprawling property designed for meditation and peace for any visitors. Marcos said he had considered becoming a monk during his quest, but a voice inside told him that he must share his newfound wisdom with others. Hence, opening up a space for reflection and the pursuit of inner knowledge in the form of his massive preserve.

By the end of the first breathing exercise, the majority of the group conceded that their breath had shifted from the left nostril to the right, indicative of preparedness for physical activity. Like many things Marcos said, the students weren’t sure what it meant – but Marcos had proved his point.