The Art of Breathing

Our breath is connected to our emotional state. Have you ever noticed how your breathing changes when you feel anxious? We tend to take more shallow breaths when we’re nervous, and even shorter and faster breaths when we experience panic. When we feel tense we hold our breath, pausing at the top of our inhaled breath before we exhale again. Anger affects our breath by forcing long inhales and exhales. In a calm state we breathe slow and steady, and our breathing becomes shallower with relaxation, similar to when we begin to fall asleep.

If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath. ― Amit Ray

Breathing is unique in comparison to other automatic functions of the body, in that it can also be regulated voluntarily. Techniques of using the breath to direct and improve the body’s energy, and aid in the release of emotions, dates back thousands of years.

"Yogi's measure the span of life by the number of breaths, not by the number of years." -Swami Sivananda

 It is said that if you breathe 15 times per minute, you will live to 75 or 80 years. If you breathe 10 times per minute you will live to 100. The speed at which you breathe will dictate the length of life. If you breathe too fast, your life will be shortened.

To breathe well is to live well. We are all born with the mastery of breathing. As babies we naturally practice deep abdominal breathing. As we get older, stressful lifestyles and fear affects how we breathe. Breathing from the abdomen is essential because the blood in the lowest part of the lungs is rich in oxygen. This diaphragmatic breathing, or baby breathing, triggers the body’s relaxation response. If you are using your diaphragm well, you will see your stomach gently expand on the in-breath, and relax back down on the out-breath. Breathing shallowly and high from the chest is linked to many conditions, such as anxiety disorders, asthma and backache.

Our breath regulates our autonomic nervous system, promoting either the sympathetic (fight or flight) response or the parasympathetic (rest and digest) response. In the practice of Yoga, the Pranayama breathing techniques can shift the balance of the autonomic nervous system away from sympathetic dominance.

Short, shallow breathing causes a cascade of negative effects in the body, and the body associates that with the fight-or-flight response - in other words shallow breathing is stressful breathing. The truth is that many of us are not aware of our breathing patterns due to our minds being in overdrive. It's very common for most of us to be breathing inefficiently and causing our bodies to be in "emergency mode" which promotes anxious feelings.

It is a common belief that we breathe with our lungs alone, but in point of fact, the work of breathing is done by the whole body. – Alexander Lowen

Both meditation and deep, slow abdominal breathing are linked to increased vagal tone. The Vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, and supports everything from your health and well being to friendships and happiness. It travels all the way from the brain to the digestive system. This nerve works through the parasympathetic nervous system.

The strength of your vagus response is known as your vagal tone. High vagal tone improves the function of many bodily systems. Benefits include, better blood sugar regulation, reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, and improved digestion through optimal production of digestive enzymes.

It influences the release of oxytocin, a hormone that is important in social bonding. Studies have found that higher vagal tone is associated with greater closeness to others and more altruistic behavior. When your exhale is even a few counts longer than your inhale, the vagus nerve is signaled. Breathing from your diaphragm, rather than shallowly from the top of the lungs stimulates and tones the vagus nerve.

Breathing meditation shows an improvement in vagal function.

It is encouraging to know that, by using something as seemingly simple and powerful as our breath, we can heal our body and mind. When asked what his favourite practice was, the author, monk, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh replied:

There are people who say that I teach only one thing: breathing in and breathing out. They are right. With mindful breathing, we’re more present for ourselves and for the world. It helps us transform the suffering within and to be in touch with the inter-being nature of reality. So we only need to practice mindful breathing—that is enough.

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