Breathing efficiently strengthens our lungs, increases our lung capacity, supports a healthier heart and a stronger diaphragm, can alleviate the symptoms of asthma, calms the nervous system which results in a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.
As James Nestor writes in his book Breath ‘we’ve become a culture of overeaters, we’ve also become a culture of overbreathers. Most of us breathe too much, and up to a quarter of the modern population suffers from more serious chronic overbreathing.’
If we have ‘good’ respiration we can have optimal health. There is not one way of breathing and there is no right way to breathe, however there are efficient ways to breathe to support the mind and the body. The majority of us overbreathe, consciously breathing encourages our breath to lengthen, so there is a greater chance for the necessary gas exchange to take place in the lung tissue.
The most efficient way to breathe is through our nose, our mouths are there for when we need them, when we’re talking or have a blocked nose with a cold or an allergy. The blood vessels in the nose warm our breath, as we inhale, so it is ready for our lungs to receive and the hairs in our nose (cilia) filter the air to remove harmful pollutants and particles. There are breathing techniques and pranayama (breathing exercises) where we use our mouth to inhale and/ore exhale.
Breathing is function we can control. Slowing our breath, consciously breathing allows us to access the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the branch of the nervous system that carries out the vital functions of the heart, lungs, circulatory system, and glandular system. These are functions we can not control however this branch of the nervous system also splits into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest) and the sympathetic nervous system (fright & flight). Slowing our breath down enables us to control and communicate with the rest & digest side (the parasympathetic nervous system). In yoga, our breath is often described as prana, life force or the vital force. Breathing is the main form of pranic activity in the body. The main way to work with prana is through pranayama (breathing techniques and exercises). If we can learn to control and manipulate our breath, we can control and manipulate our mind, overall health and wellbeing.
I was fortunate to be able attend a Donna Farhi workshop when she was in Edinburgh in May 2018. The Breathing Book, one of her many publications, became a constant source of reflection and guided my breathing practice when I embarked on my yoga foundation course in 2016 with Yoga Scotland. She writes:
‘Breathing is one of the simplest things in the world. We breathe in, we breathe out. When we breathe with real freedom, we neither gasp for nor hold on to the breath out. Given the simplicity of breathing, one would think it was the easiest thing to do in the world. However, if it were truly so easy there would be few unhappy or unhealthy people in the world. To become a welcome vessel for the breath is to live life without trying to control, grasp, or push away. Ad how easy is this? The process of breathing is the most accurate metaphor we have for the way that we personally approach life, how we live our lives, and how we react to the inevitable changes that life brings us.’
Exploring the breath and deep feeling can feel unnerving. It can make us feel vulnerable as we working with the chest and the heart. This is an area we naturally want to protect; when we’re upset our breath changes. If you have ever been really upset to the point of sobbing you’ll be familiar with the way the body begins to gasp for air and the lungs mimic the sobbing. When we are worried, stressed or anxious we tend to breathe high up in the chest. We hold onto grief, emotions, trauma, old thoughts and memories in our heart centres and also our hips and pelvic area. So we must ensure we explore our breath and its possibilities gently without forcing or rushing it. It can take time to feel ready to go deeper; deeper with the breath and therefore deeper into the mind and body.
In yoga, our breath is often described as ‘prana’ - life force or the vital force. Breathing is the main form of pranic activity in the body. The main way to work with prana is through pranayama (breathing techniques and exercises). If we can learn to control and manipulate our breath, we can control and manipulate our mind, overall health and wellbeing.
When practising breathing it’s imperative to have a straight spine to support the lungs. The hips need to be level with or higher than the knees. By raising the pelvis (either sitting on a chair, on the floor with yoga blocks or a couple of cushions) the knees will drop in relation to the iliac crest and as a result the spine is better supported and more upright. Simple mindful breathing techniques to begin will bring your awareness to the breathe in the body. Placing you hands on your belly and using the sense of touch to guide the breath. It is always advisable to practise pranayama or more complex breathing techniques with the guidance of an experienced teacher.
Breathing practices and efficient breathing aid sleep and enhance our mental state. Our emotions and our breath are connected; once we learn to consciously breathe and control our mind we reap the benefits psychological as well as physically.
As Max Strom writes in A Life Worth Breathing:
‘The vehicle we travel in must be kept in order. Otherwise travel becomes difficult and painful and then impossible.’
My #pausetobreathe classes are running over the next three weeks on Mondays and Fridays at 7am. Take 20 minutes to ground yourself and set your breath up for the day ahead.