Breathe…… Better

What is more essential to our health and well-being than breathing?

Notice your breathing when stressed, anxious, angry, or sad – but also while relaxing

We take air in, we let it out. We repeat thousands of times a day without ever taking notice. Many of us have lost the ability to breathe correctly, and that inability can come with some serious consequences. With daily stress, or during times of crisis it can be difficult to keep our breath flowing effectively to counteract the negative effects stress has on our bodies and minds.

In his book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, author James Nestor writes of his world-wide quest to figure out where we lost our collective breath and where to find it. Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Nestor upends the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function. The book discusses a number of salient facts, including:

• A growing number of studies show that breathing techniques are effective against anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia.
• These techniques influence both physiological factors (by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system) and psychological factors (by diverting attention from thoughts).
• Because these techniques are safe and easy to use, scientific validation might result in their being more frequently recommended and practiced.

Every relaxation, calming, or meditation technique, and hello! -yoga, relies on breathing, which may be the lowest common denominator in all the approaches to calming the body and the mind. Research into basic physiology and the effects of applying breath-control methods shows the value of monitoring and regulating our inhalations and exhalations.

As early as the first millennium B.C., both the Tao religion of China and Hinduism placed importance on a “vital principle” that flows through the body, a kind of energy or internal breath, and viewed respiration as one of its manifestations. In Chinese philosophy call this energy qi, and the Hindu tradition call it prana (one of the key concepts of yoga).

As I have taught elementary and middle school children yoga classes, all wiggly and distracted… hoping they could absorb something from their experience to take with them and into their lives. I explained that even without the poses you can find yoga and stillness with your breath. While on a crazy loud school bus or lunchroom or right before a quiz or test. While sitting, we can straighten and lengthen our spines and roll those shoulders back. Inhale and exhale through the nose deeply and slowly so that you sound like Darth Vader or “ocean breath”. It does wonders.

When should we apply slow breathing exercises? Should we reserve these techniques for episodes of stress, anxiety, or insomnia? Absolutely not! Proper breathing is ALWAYS beneficial. It is also worth applying them during pleasurable moments, to take the time to appreciate and remember them. Remember to experience the benefits of slow breathing during times of enjoyment, appreciation, or relaxation….and to completely sink into that savasana. In short, one can pause and breathe for enjoyment as well as to calm down. To help us completely savor every savasana, or that bite of chocolate cake, or watching your dogs frolic in the yard.

So…..what can we do to help ourselves breathe better than ever before?

Try some of these daily breathing exercise goals:

365: 
The name was given to a common technique recommended by therapists to counter accumulated stress: at least three times a day, breathe six times per minute (inhaling for five seconds and exhaling for five seconds each time) for five minutes. Repeat all 365 days of the year.

Stand (and Sit) Up Straight:
Good posture is important for breathing: hold yourself straight, without stiffness, shoulders back, sitting, or standing. This posture facilitates the free play of the respiratory muscles (of the diaphragm and between the ribs).

Good posture enables your body to breathe properly on its own.

Stomach Breathing:  
Breathe “through your stomach” as much as possible: start by inflating your belly by inhaling, as if to fill it with air, then swell your chest, up to your collar bones; as you exhale, first “empty” your stomach, then your chest. This type of breathing is easier to observe and test while lying down, with one hand on your stomach.

Follow Your Breath:
Simply observe your respiratory movements: be aware of each inhalation and exhalation. Focus on the sensations you feel as air passes through your nose and throat or on the movements of your chest and belly. When you feel your thoughts drift (which is natural), redirect your attention to your breath.

Alternate Nostrils:
Breathe in and out slowly through one nostril, holding the other one closed using your finger; then reverse and continue by alternating regularly. There are many variations of this exercise—for example, inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the other. Research suggests that what is most important, aside from slowing the breathing rhythm, is breathing through the nose, which is somewhat more soothing than breathing through your mouth.

Think Reassuring Thoughts While Breathing:
With each breath, think soothing thoughts (“I am inhaling peace and calm”). With each exhalation, imagine that you are expelling your fears and worries (“I am exhaling worry and stress”).

Think about it…our breath. We require it to function, to be here on this earth.
We can use our breath to help ourselves and enhance our lives. We can harness our breath to enhance our existence and all of the experiences that life brings us.