Breathing in, breathing out… Breathing in, breathing out… This is something we do every second of every day since we were born! We move through our days without thinking about breathing, thanks to our autonomic nervous system who takes care of our heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, digestion, etc. to keep us alive. Breathing may seem like no big deal (we do it ALL the time!) but there are so many benefits to breathing consciously, especially while doing yoga. Sounds simple, right?
Cultivating a breathwork practice, whether it be while practicing yoga postures or not, can be challenging if we have never put much thought into breathing before. Keep reading to learn more about why breathing consciously is imperative for your physical and mental health and your yoga practice, and how you can start to cultivate a deeper breath!
Roots of Breathwork
The breath is a foundational part of the practice of yoga. In Sanskrit, the ancient language of India in which many yogic scriptures were written, pranayama is what can be referred to as “breathwork”. Let’s break it down: prana means “vital life force energy” (prana is respiration, there is prana in almost everything that exists), yama means “to control”, and ayama means “to expand”. So pranayama can be understood as being the control of breath to expand vital life force energy. It often focuses on inhalation, retention of breath, and exhalation.
The ancient practice of pranayama has been around for millennia. The first text to give a detailed description of the different ways one can practice pranayama is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika written in the 15th century by Swami Svatmarama who compiled older hatha yoga teachings into one manuscript. In this text, several pranayama practices are described such as: Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), Ujjayi (“ocean” breath), Sitkari (“hissing” breath), and Bhramari (humming bee breath).
Pranayama was used to balance energy within the body, and one of the main purpose of breathing practices was also to steady the mind. The mind tends to follow the breath. It has been said in these ancient texts that when the breath wanders the mind is unsteady, and when the breath is calm the mind is still. Let’s look at why this still holds true today.
Benefits of Conscious Breath
Breathing is a mechanical process of the body which has two phases: inspiration and expiration.
In the first phase, we inhale air through the nostrils which travels through the throat, larynx (voice box), trachea, and then to the lungs. To increase the volume in our chest, the diaphragm (which is a long horizontal muscle resting under the base of the lungs) moves down when we inhale, allowing more air in. You might feel your belly expand as your diaphragm moves down. The intercostal muscles (between and around the ribs) pull the ribcage up and out so it can expand. The breath also moves into the low back for a three-dimensional sensation.
In the second phase of breathing, we exhale the stale air out of the lungs and up to the nostrils. To do this, the diaphragm and the ribcage relax: the diaphragm comes back up to help the air out and the ribs soften back down.
Try taking a deep breath now. Inhale through your nose and see if you can breathe into your low belly, exhale through your nose and let all the air out the lungs. Can you notice those mechanical components of breathing happen within your body? Does it feel unnatural to breathe in this way? There are actually many benefits of conscious deep breathing.
Have you heard of fight or flight, and rest and digest? These are two kinds of responses of your body’s nervous system. When we are in a sympathetic nervous response we tend to feel stressed and anxious. Our body is protecting us by sending most of its energy to our extremities so we can run away or fight off whatever is of danger to us. On the other hand, when we are in a parasympathetic nervous response we feel safe and at peace and our body focuses its energy on deeper processes like digestion. The main part of our parasympathetic nervous system is called the vagus nerve. It travels along the body from our face to our digestive organs.
Many benefits of deep breathing are directly tied to the vagus nerve:
- When we breathe deeper into the belly (instead of upper chest breathing) we use our diaphragm, which stimulates the vagus nerve and brings us into a state of calm and serenity.
- When we engage our whisper muscles when breathing in and out, as if we were trying to make wave sounds (like in Ujjayi breathing), when we hum (like in Bhramari humming bee breathing), or when we chant or sing, the vocal chords actually hit our vagus nerve and activates it. This can help bring us out of our stress response into a more calm state.
Other benefits of conscious, deep breathing include:
- Better immune function
- Lower or stabilized blood pressure
- Positive effect on asthma
- Boost in energy
- More concentration
- Improved psychological and mental health
How to Cultivate a Breathing Practice
When getting started with your breathing practice, it can be helpful to find simple moments in your day where you can consciously take a few deep breaths. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, simply concentrating your attention on your breath when you are doing the dishes, on your morning commute, or while taking a walk can be a great place to start.
You can also practice conscious breathing while doing yoga! Pairing your breathing practice with yoga postures helps to connect your mind, body and soul into one embodied experience, and keeps you present in the here and now. Conscious breathing is the foundation of a yoga practice (it’s even more important than the postures!).
Concentrating on your breath during your yoga practice:
- Is a great point of focus to help quiet your mind
- Minimizes distractions of the outer world
- Brings you into focus with your inner world
- Deepens your connection to yourself
The breath has a long history in the tradition of yoga. There are many ways to practice it, and some methods are simpler than others. Learning how to breathe deeply and consciously may seem unnatural at first. Finding little moments in your day to practice taking a few breaths using your diaphragm (and breathing all the way into your low belly and low back) can help you find a calm state of being and bring you in alignment with your mind, body and soul.
