Breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system, which means that it happens without any conscious effort, but it is fairly unique in that you can still exert some control over it. We’ve all undoubtedly been told at some point to calm down, to take some deep breaths. That’s one of those moments when you use your breath to have a direct impact on other systems within the body. The heart slows, the breath slows, the body and mind release tension, and you begin to think more reasonably, more clearly. That is some pretty powerful stuff. And you probably registered the effects in your mind, but how soon did you forget? Afterall, someone had to remind you. And maybe you were slightly annoyed at the suggestion to boot. Probably because you felt a little silly that you need to be reminded. We tend to take the breath and its power for granted. And that’s okay, we are human with a lot on our minds. Though this post is more than a reminder, it’s a plea for you to pay more attention to your breath, every day, every hour, every minute and every second you take a breath.
One of the most profound things ever said to me in yoga class is that you can go days without food, hours without water, but only minutes without breath (the record is 20, apparently; bet she did yoga). Yet it is the one thing on the list that we neglect the most. Why is that?
If you go to yoga, very quickly you realize that it is a major component of the yoga process, that breathing itself is a process, even if you don’t formally employ specific breathing techniques, like Diaphragmatic (belly) Breathing, or Alternate Nostril Breathing, for example. Technically, yoga is a science, connecting the mind and body to function more optimally, in a nutshell, and if you are up for a little more science, here’s a fun simple fact, breath is simply an exchange of gases. Oxygen for carbon dioxide. The great give and take. It’s that simple. Or is it?
Yoga consists of 8 limbs, or branches, and when taken together as a whole, you are closer to achieving your bliss body, pure consciousness, that divine inner spirit that glows about your exterior, welcoming and easily connecting with those around you. The first limb is the physical, Asana, or poses, what we come to the mat to learn and practice. The second limb is the breath, or Pranayama, as it is known in Sanskrit. Prana means energy, life force, known as Chi in Chinese. You can’t help but quickly get a taste of the second limb, as we pair movement with breath, but it takes months and even years to delve more deeply into the second limb, for there are so many breath techniques that it would be very difficult to even list. Though your Asana study is the first step to realizing your breath potential.
We watch what we eat, we watch what we drink, why not watch what we breathe? If we consider things literally, we would naturally consider the air that we are breathing. No smoking, for instance, take in fresh air, avoid air contaminants like mold, mildew, dust and dander, to name just a few. Though consider the quality of your own breath, the depth, the duration, the time spent inhaling, as opposed to, as well as in direct lineage, to the time exhaling. They are separate, yet they are not. You can’t have one without the other. What goes up, must come down.
Most folks employ shallow breath throughout a busy, stressful day, breathing only at a 50 or 60% capacity, maybe even less. Sometimes we get so stressed we actually hold our breath. This bad habit affects not just the physical body, but the emotional and energetic body as well. We are in pain, we are tense, we are zapped of energy and we snap at whoever makes the slightest provocation. Yoga gives you a chance to explore just how detrimental this habit can be to the physical, energetic and emotional body. With it we learn that we can apply energetic breath, like ujjayi, (aka Darth Vadar breath) to challenging rhythmic cadences, and rev up our courage and stamina or, if we like, we can apply slower quiet breath to sustain and release into comfort poses. Or a calmer and more thoughtful conversation. Either way, the breath and its effects are extremely powerful. For me, this branch of the yoga process, Pranayama, or breath control, has many times had even more of a profound effect on me than that of the Limb 1, Asana, or poses.
Lastly, I am actually able to relieve pain with my breath. You may have heard the advice, breathe into your shoulders, or some other body part. It may sound silly, but it works. I suffer from tremendous back pain and before I pop an Ibuprofen, I try to combat the pain on my own. I dim the lights and quiet the room, maybe light a candle, I find a comfortable, supported position, and I take my mind into that pain and I breathe, deep, deep breaths, and next thing I know, it’s been a half hour and I don’t need that Ibuprofen after all. I don’t even need all thos extras, either, I can do this while waiting in line or sitting in the car. Real life begins to look more like bliss life. Sigh……………………..