Do all gases in the air support meditation?

Osho, the air we breathe contains not only oxygen; it also has nitrogen, hydrogen, and many other kinds of gases. Do all of them support meditation?

Absolutely, they will be supportive for meditation. Because whatever is present in the air—and there is a great deal, not only oxygen—all of it is meaningful for you, for life; that is why you are alive. On any planet or satellite where the air does not contain these things in such proportions, life cannot happen. All of it is the possibility of life. So there is no need to worry about it. There is no need to worry about it. And the more intensely you breathe, the more beneficial it is, because in that intensity oxygen will be able to enter in greater measure and become a part of you. The rest will be thrown out. And whatever things are there in whatever proportion, all of them are useful for your life; there is no harm in that. There is no harm in that. The experience of lightness and its…

Questioner: along with oxygen we take in other gases like nitrogen and hydrogen with our breath. How are all these gases conducive to meditation?

These are absolutely conducive to meditation. Whatever there is in the air--it is not only oxygen but many other things--is conducive to life. It is because of them that you are alive. There is no life on a planet or satellite planet where these gases are not available in the right proportions. It is they who make life possible. Therefore you need not worry on this score. And the more intensely and briskly you breathe, the more you will benefit. In a state of deep and fast breathing only oxygen can enter your system in maxi mum quantity; everything else will be left out. And even these other gases are useful ingredients of life; they are not harmful.

So about meditation, the first thing that I have to say to you is that what you will be in the last moments of your growth in meditation, that you already are, here and now. Meditation will not add anything to you but it will remove some things. It will cut away some wrong from you. It will destroy somethings that are not wanted and what is significant, that will get the opportunity to manifest totally. Nothing new will be added, only old hindrances will be dropped. The experiments that we are going to do in these four days in order to drop these hindrances, they are very vital, very alive experiments. And all those who will be ready to do it honestly, for them results are certain to happen. It will be good to understand what I mean by the word "honesty".

Osho, what effect does deep breathing have on the brain and the nervous system?

As soon as you begin deep breathing, the ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body changes. The very first thing that shifts is this proportion of carbon dioxide and oxygen within us. And the moment the proportion of carbon dioxide changes, transformation begins throughout the brain, the entire body, the blood, and the nerves—everywhere. For the entire basis of our being rests on specific ratios of oxygen and carbon dioxide. A change in those ratios brings about a total change. That is why I suggested you come separately; that is a technical matter. It may not interest everyone, so I will talk with you about it. Meditation practice and self-hypnosis

Osho: No, no, not at their expense. Tell them about this method. They themselves will feel it. They will certainly feel the change, the transformation. Let them practise it--just as an experiment with their disturbed mind, their doubts. Let them experiment, just as an experiment. If 'something' happens, then the practice goes by itself. There is no need to convince them. And, the anarchy that is within must be exploded. It should not be stilled or cramped down. It must be expressed in total intensity. The calmness, the serenity, the Nirvana comes not by stilling the mind but by explosion. Then the stillness comes but it is not a cultivated composure. Express what you are, totally. Of course that means madness, because we are mad. So, if you express it, the madness will come out. Even you yourself will feel strange about it, unknown to yourself.