“Breathing affects your respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, muscular and psychic system, and also has a general effect on your sleep, your memory, your energy level and your concentration”. (The Breathing Book, Donna Farhi, Page xiv).
How many times during the day do you notice how you are breathing? Luckily, breathing is something we don’t have to think about. It happens automatically. It is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), typically referred to as the involuntary nervous system. This system regulates many organs, such as heart, stomach, and intestines. It triggers our “flight or fight” or “rest and digest” response to situations. The lungs are the one of the few parts of the ANS that we can control. This gives us a “hook” into the ANS and a way to influence bodily processes that are typically thought of as out of our control. You may have heard of advanced yogis stopping their heart (please don’t try this at home). The way to begin to influence these “involuntary” processes is to regulate the breath.
What’s your breath doing right now as you read this article? Is it smooth and rhythmical? Are you holding your breath? Is it labored or irregular? Shallow or deep?
IMPORTANT—Try to avoid strain in the breath. A strained breath will trigger the “fight or flight” response in the nervous system. This exercise is best done several hours or more after eating.
Sit up straight with
shoulders relaxed, chest open and neck lengthened. Relax the body and facial
muscles while maintaining an erect spine. You can rest the back against
something to help sit up straight without strain. Alternatively, lie on the
floor with knees bent. If you can, close the eyes. Otherwise fix the eyes on
one spot.
Breathe in and out through the nostrils if you can. Just let the breath flow softly, without forcing anything. Allow the breath to move the body. If you’d like you can rest hands on belly, ribs or chest and feel the movement. If it feels natural, you can pause before your inhale or exhale.
Now see if you can slow the breath down and smooth it out so it’s evenly paced. Count the length of your inhale and see if you can exhale for about the same length. Adjust the length as needed to avoid strain. It doesn’t matter how fast you count or to what number; just keep the pace the same for the inhales and exhales.
By spending a few minutes throughout your day noticing your breath, slowing it down and making it rhythmical, you can gain control over your stress level. But there are many other benefits of “proper” breathing. Recent scientific studies have shown that the simple act of regulating the breath can lower blood pressure. (Grossman E, Grossman A, Schein MH, Zimlichman R, Gavish B "Breathing-control lowers blood pressure." J Human Hyperten 2001; 15(4): 263 - 269. ) There are even devices out there to help you monitor the breath to lower blood pressure (see www.Resperate.com).
Other studies show breath therapy alleviating migraines, chronic pain,
epilepsy, asthma, panic attacks, hyperventilation, coronary heart disease and
menopausal hot flashes. (The Breathing
Book, Donna Farhi, Page . The Notes
section of this book cites many specific studies e.g., L.M. Germaine, and R.R.
Freedman, “Behavioral treatment of menopausal flashes: evaluation by objective
methods.” Journal of Consulting Clinical
Psychology, 52 (1984). Other
benefits attributed to proper breathing are better oxygenation of the blood and
longer life.
So take a deep breath and experience the “pause that refreshes.”
Books by Donna Farhi, Richard Rosen, Andrew Weil and others.