The importance of breath

There has been a lot of talk about breathing.  The mantra, "Breathe in; breathe out" is often repeated during stressful times.  What is it about breathing that makes it so important?  Isn't it something our body automatically does?

The answer to the latter question is both yes and no.  Yes, we automatically take in and expel air without conscious thought.  No, we do not automatically breathe correctly.  We breathe for physical survival and not necessarily for mental stability or for health.

Proper breathing is extremely important precisely because it helps the body maintain a state of homeostasis.  If the body is out of whack internally, the chemical processes that help our different systems run will be out of whack as well.  Oxygen in and toxins out are essential to our bodies on a cellular level.

Proper breathing also helps maintain a proper mental balance.  Take a moment to run a slight experiment.  Breathe quickly and shallowly for 1 minute.  How do you feel?  Are you starting to feel light-headed and anxious?  Now, breathe deeply and slowly for 1 minute.  How do you feel?  Are you starting to feel calmer and more clear-headed?

In today's society, we have a tendency to be "chest breathers".  This means we breathe shallow, quicker breathes and utilize the top of our lungs more than the bottom.  Gunk tends to get stuck in the bottom of our lungs.  We feel more anxious and suffer from a tightness of the lungs or coughing fits when we practice yoga or a sport that requires deep breathing.

One solution is to become conscious of your breath.  Take 5 or 10 minutes each day to practice three-part breathing.  Sit with your right hand on the top of the sternum, right between your collar bones.  Feel the rise and fall of the upper chest for 6 breaths.  Now, place your left hand on your left rib cage.  Feel the rise of the upper chest and the expansion of the ribs as you breathe in; feel the contraction of the ribs and the fall of the upper chest as you breathe out.  Again, do this for 6 breaths.  Finally, fold your hands over your diaphram (right above the belly button, between the lower ribs).  Feel the rise of the upper chest, the expansion of the lungs, and the contraction of the diaphram as it moves to allow the lungs to expand fully.  As you exhale, feel the diaphram expand as it starts the movement of air; the lower lungs contract, the mid-part of the lungs contract, and the chest falls.  Think of it as a tube of toothpase filling from the top down and emptying from the bottom up.

By taking the time to breathe deeply, you not only are ensuring enough oxygen is getting into your system for balance, you are also working on releasing the toxins for health.  Try it for the next week and see how you feel.