Take a deep breath! You hear people say it all of the time when someone around them is anxious, stressed or tired and needs to keep trudging along. With good reason, it is an expression that stands the test of time. Why is the breath so important? Well, that seems obvious, doesn't it? Breath keeps us alive. So are you alive or are you alive? Breath, when used in the proper manner is a whole lot more than the automatic function that we all know it to be.
Pranayama, meaning life force or energy, are yogic, meditative breathing techniques. There are ways to control your breath so that it serves you in the best way for you at that moment. You can actually train your breath! Pretty amazing, wouldn't you say? Many of the techniques involve slowing down and deepening the breath, thereby activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing stress in the body. A simple yet profound compliment or alternative to pills and talk therapy. So, what exactly happens?
Well, due to our sedentary lifestyles, and chronic stress (I like to call it CSD - Chronic Stress Disorder) we have become a human race of chest breathers...not so good for us. Breathing into the chest will keep you alive but not alive. To live everyday with a feeling of ease, invigoration and brightness, the light from within needs to be turned on, and it is when that light is radiating that you can come alive. Breathing into the chest results in a more shallow breath, thereby depriving your body of the refreshments that it needs to keep on partying. Basically, the shallow breathing results in less oxygen transfer to the blood and in turn less nutrients are delivered to the tissues that need them.
The alternative to chest breathing is abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing, wherein you breathe deep into your belly expanding the diaphragm and allowing more air to fill the lungs. The diaphragm is located between your chest and your abdomen and when it expands a negative pressure is created in the lungs, which forces air into the lungs and blood into the chest to rid us of our "bad blood." The result is greater stamina, energy boosts, and a lighter, healthier feeling overall. The icing on the cake - breath is the ultimate relaxer! Light on!
There are many other pranayama techniques aside from abdominal breathing, and I encourage you to explore breath and its glory. Some of the techniques are a bit tricky and take some getting used to and should not be explored without an experienced practitioner of the technique. This is just a brief thought that I want to share with you because proper breathing can change everything and ensure a healthier, mentally and physically, and more productive life - it has worked for me! Enjoy and breathe with unity, serenity and awareness.
Abdominal Breathing Technique
Breathing exercises such as this one should be done twice a day or whenever you find your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts or when you are experiencing pain.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs.
- After exhaling through the mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for a count of 7 (or as long as you are able, not exceeding 7)
- Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. As all the air is released with relaxation, gently contract your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from the lungs. It is important to remember that we deepen respirations not by inhaling more air but through completely exhaling it.
- Repeat the cycle four more times for a total of 5 deep breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one breath every 10 seconds (or 6 breaths per minute). At this rate our heart rate variability increases which has a positive effect on cardiac health.
Once you feel comfortable with the above technique, you may want to incorporate words that can enhance the exercise. Examples would be to say to yourself the word, relaxation (with inhalation) and stress or anger (with exhalation). The idea being to bring in the feeling/emotion you want with inhalation and release those you don't want with exhalation.
In general, exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation. The use of the hands on the chest and abdomen are only needed to help you train your breathing. Once you feel comfortable with your ability to breathe into the abdomen, they are no longer needed.
Abdominal breathing is just one of many breathing exercises. But it is the most important one to learn before exploring other techniques. The more it is practiced, the more natural it will become improving the body's internal rhythm.
