Sensei of Shambala. Book II. Anastasia Novykh

the same way like us. We have even identical microorganisms which cause respiratory diseases. But unlike us dolphins endure badly the chill. Very often it turns into pneumonia and almost always it ends with the death of an animal.”

      Eugene made a surprised glance, “Really? Then it’s good that I am not a dolphin.”

      “But if they swallow water the wrong way, how can they live there?” Kostya inquired.

      “They die only when they are seriously stressed, when they panic, actually the same way like people. Apart from that they live quite well! They have such a good system of muscular and respiratory valves which ideally functions in the most severe external conditions.”

      “Well,” Nikolai Andreevich sighed. “It means that the fear equals all.” And he asked Sensei in a while, “Then it means that the psychological factor is the same way important for dolphins during apnoea as for people, isn’t it?”

      “You are completely right.”

      “Apnoea?” Ruslan wondered. “And what is this?”

      Eugene hemmed.

      “Here you are… Apnoea means breath-holding. Even I know that!”

      Ruslan glanced at aqualungs in the air-bag and relied with a crooked smile, “Of course, you should know that.”

      “Don’t worry,” Stas invigorated him. “If you dive like us, you will know it, too.”

      “Right, with a head to the sand,” Eugene added with a smile and looked at Stas.

      They both laughed, obviously having recollected some funny case from their past. Offended Ruslan said, “Am I an ostrich or what?”

      “If not, you will become the one,” Eugene declared kindly, exchaning again glances with Stas. The guys felt some dirty trick in his words and insisted on telling what was hidden behind these grins. The fellows told a story about their first unlucky experiments when they had been learning diving. Actually there was nothing special but surely it looked quite comical due to Eugene’s interpretation. At the end Stas uttered, “It would be great if people were able to stay long time under water without additional devices like aqualungs.”

      “It’s quite real,” Sensei remarked as if by the way. “The brain of the human has a lot of programs. You just have to know how to use these abilities… What is human breathing in fact? It’s an interchange of air breathes in and out. This process takes place due to diaphragm and ribs muscles contraction which causes the volume change of the thorax. The gas exchange takes place on the level of lungs alveolus and it enriches blood. The blood transports oxygen among cells and extracts carbonic acid. And what does regulate this breathing rhythm? The breathing center which is located in the medulla. There is hidden a golden key to the ‘switch of speed’.”

      “Do you mean the programs?” Kostya asked.

      “Right.”

      Eugene grinned self-satisfied.

      “Aha, and the key lies there like in a fairy tale, and nobody knows where it lies. And those who know keep silent as they cant’ reach it through the hole.”

      “You are wrong,” Sensei smiled. “Those who want always will find… and will reach. There are plenty of such practices of breath-holding. You just have to look for them and not to be lazy, but don’t tell us stories that there no of them only because you are unaware of that. Let’s take for example a practice of breathing control in yoga. It’s called Pranayama. Though in its original form it was given namely as an instrument for activization of one of the most ancient reflexes of a human, a ‘submergence reflex’, and not into the water but into the depth of the consiousness where a human gradually neared the source of the soul. But ourdays this practice is rather distorted by people and is boosted into the whole teaching where yogis mostly waste their time and energy for learning how to control the breathing, to speed up some processes in the body, for example, to heal wounds or slow down for example the general metabolism or beats… It’s also good, of course, because this way people learn how to control their thoughts. But they knocked to pieces the whole and complicated the simple. Therefore modern people, when practicing it, see the piece and think that it’s the very whole…” and Sensei added addressing himself again directly to Eugene, “So if you want just to hold your breath, you may use this practice as well. The choice is wide. The technique of breath-holding in the alternating consciousness was known to people from the time immemorial. This practice can be found everywhere: in Tropical Africa, in Northern America, in Lapland, on the Bali island. I don’t even mention those techniques which are inherited from one generation to another by people who live on sea fruits, for example pearl hunters.

      Eugene pondered for a while and started to debate aloud.

      “Well, tell me how long can someone stand under water without air? A maximum of two minutes, and only if it’s a professional diver. I mean, without aqualung,” the guy specified.

      “He’s right,” Nikolai Andreevich agreed. “Then it comes to anoxia, simply to say, to the lack of oxygen which leads to irreversible processes in the substance of the brain. A man loses consciousness…”

      “And that’s all folks, alles kaput,” Eugene finished the sentence supporting his ‘companion’.

      However, Sensei objected, “In alternating consciousness even a not trained person is able to stay much longer than any professional diver.”

      “Well, Sensei, don’t tell us stories,” the guy didn’t believe.

      “Let’s bet on it?” Sensei proposed immediately with a mysterious smile.

      “With you, Sensei? Not at any price,” Eugene waved away at once under the general laughter of the guys. “Am I a self-murderer? I know anyway that I won’t stay under water so long as you.”

      “No, I don’t count myself,” Sensei calmed him. “Let’s take anybody from this gang, chose yourself.”

      “You say, it’s my choice?” Eugene smiled archly and started to ‘drill’ us with his eyes. This very moment, as bad luck would have it, the grip of my plastic sachet was torn by pure accident.

      “Oh,” my person uttered with confusion and started to collect quickly fishing tackle and some other things from the sand.

      Andrew and Volodya who were walking close to me, began to help me. Eugene drew his attention to the ‘object’ of his winning choice and declared self-satisfied, “Let’s take her for example.”

      “Alright,” Sensei agreed. “Do you mind?” He asked me.

      I was so naпve to take it just for a funny joke and decided to back Sensei. I declared in the same self-satisfied manner as Eugene, “Of course, I agree. What’s the problem? I’m a hereditary diver of the seventh generation. Do you know how Siberians dive? Oh! They dive in the mountains of Altai and come to the surface in Kara Sea!

      “Do they come to the surface or float on the surface drowned?” – Eugene specified with a malicious smile.

      “It depends on your luck,” I answered.

      Our dialogue made all the guys laugh.

      “Well, well,” Eugene rubbed his hands anticipating his victory. “And what will be the prize of our bet?”

      “Choose by your own!” Sensei answered merrily.

      “Then.., then,” the guy was confused.

      “One day on duty in the camp,” Stas gave him a hint as it was their turn to do it.

      “Right you are,” Eugene expressed his consent. “One day on duty in the camp! That is to say all those things like tidying-up-with-a-broom, washing-dishes, making-fire and all other small and boring routine things in the camp.”

      “Alright,” Sensei said. “As soon as we arrive to the camp, we’ll start the competition.”

      They shook hands with each other and Volodya agreed to be a referee of the bet. We continued our way.

      Eugene was so inspired by his obvious