Abdominal rather than chest breathing is the preferred breathing technique for psychosomatic adjustment and development of cosmic consciousness. One of the features of abdominal breathing in the East is that the length of expiration is longer than that of inspiration. Another feature of abdominal breathing is that breathing is slow and deep. As breathing skill and meditation abilities increase, breathing becomes fainter and is gradually suspended. Abdominal breathing aids psychosomatic adjustment and increases mental and physical health. In particular, breathing methods exerting strong pressure on the lower abdomen in expiration can help in the cure of diseases and improvement of health. The essence of breathing is thought of as taking into one's body not just air but the vital force of the universe; pram in Yoga or ch'i in Sendo. There is a close relationship between breath suspension and the development of cosmic consciousness in Yoga, Sendo and Zen.