Unlike walking, or even talking, no one has to teach us how to breathe.
As babies, most of us do it properly from the beginning – deep abdominal breathing from the diaphragm that fills the body with life-enriching oxygen. This bathes the brain, heart and organs in nourishing oxygen, enhancing our thought processes and optimizing immune, circulatory and nervous systems. As we grow, our breath helps develop strong voices for singing, speaking, even laughing.
But somewhere along the way, be it poor posture, stressful life events, or long hours at work, breathing often becomes altered. Natural abdominal breathing morphs into shallow chest, or even mouth-breathing. Even the quest for six-pack abs and nipped waists can constrict natural breathing patterns and contribute to using a fraction of lung capacity.
Some schools of thought believe asthma, cancer, stroke, heart attack and many other diseases can worsen or improve by the quality of our breathing. Studies have even shown lung volume to be the primary marker for how long we will live and the quality of that life. But clinical studies and medical journals are now learning what yoga practitioners have known for centuries.
“Breath, or ‘pran,’ is the vital link between the body and the mind, so the breath is what helps us draw the body inward and calm the mind,” says Brenna Hatami, naturopathic physician and co-director of the Denver Institute of Yoga at 1441 York St. “Without prana or breathwork, you really don’t have yoga.”
Pranayama or “breath control” is integral to yoga asana practice (yoga postures), as well as stilling the mind. The importance of breath to yoga may explain its extraordinary affect on our physical, mental and emotional bodies, as concentrating on proper breathing techniques can help gain focus and endurance for long-holding of difficult poses. “The breath helps us learn about the postures better,” adds Hatami. “Helps us learn where we’re holding in the body and allows us to go deeper (into a pose). It also prevents us from getting injured.”
The one key we all could learn from yoga practice is this: Breath is essential to life. Quality of breath can optimize daily thinking, as well as overall functioning.
Proper breathing goes back to the technique we inherently possessed as babies: deep inhalations through to the abdomen, filling the lungs and belly. To find out if you are a “shallow breather,” (and many of us are), do the following:
Determine if you are breathing from the diaphragm
Lie on your back, placing your left hand on your chest and the right hand on your
abdomen. Breathe normally
and note which hand moves as you take breaths.
If the left hand moves, you are breathing from the upper chest.
If your right hand moves and your abdomen expands and contracts as you breathe, you are breathing correctly – from the belly.
Become a “belly breather”
Lie on a flat surface to keep the upper chest and shoulders steady.
Place a book on your stomach.
Take deep breaths through the nose.
If you are “belly breathing,” your diaphragm will contract, forcing the book to move up.
Hold the air as long as you can, then exhale pushing with the abdomen, watching the book move back down.
Daily practice with exercises like this will develop “correct” breathing patterns, ensuring proper elimination of bodily waste, more efficient metabolism and increased energy.
Regular yoga practice and other modalities that focus on breathing also will help establish proper respiration and put you on the road to increased health, vitality and peace of mind.
Doni Luckett is chief executive of Divine-Basics.com, which produces lifestyle products to reconnect with moments that matter. Your questions may be addressed in the column by e-mailing enrichyourlifeenrichyourlife@divine-basics.com.
