Care for a Bit of Breath?

When we think of things that are nourishing for our bodies, we tend to focus on our diet-what we should or should not be ingesting. A simple online search on healthy living will reveal endless information on how to eat and drink ourselves to a more balanced life. For the past four months I have been participating in a Vinyasa yoga teacher training. When signing up for the training I imagined myself conquering my practice with proper alignment and balance. I was prepared and even looking forward to learning the convoluted Sanskrit names of asanas, soaking up yoga philosophy and immersing myself in teaching principles. The breath and breathing throughout the yoga practice simply just slipped my mind. This of course proved to be short -term neglect. It was not long into my teachers training course when I fully realized the importance of breathing. Of course having practiced yoga for some time I had always been aware that asanas and breath go hand in hand. A typical yoga class will rarely take place without friendly encouragement from a teacher to breath deeply throughout the practice, using the breath to stay strong and focused. I was unaware, however of the exact dynamics of inhalation and exhalation and the function (other than keeping us alive) that the breath serves in our daily life.

Focusing on the breath comes easier ever since I am more aware of the dynamics of inhaling and exhaling. Most of us (including myself) don’t optimize on our full breathing capacity. My husband for example, tends to have short inhalations and exhalations, filling only his upper chest and depriving his body and mind of vital oxygen. This results from time to time to him gasping -with his chest caved in and his shoulders up towards his ears- for dear life. I recently discovered through assigned reading for my teacher training that breathing involves a clear physical process. Doug Keller, a yoga teacher well versed on the dynamics of breathing, describes this as diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that extends along the bottom of the ribcage, radiating from the central tendon just below the heart and attaching to the bottom tip of the breast bone, then to the lower ribs and all the way down to the first of the four lumber vertebrae (lower back). Diaphragmatic breathing relaxes our muscles, massages our internal organs, and allows more oxygen to flow through our body. In short, when you inhale into your diaphragm your chest expands, your belly slightly lifts and your lower ribs expand towards your spine. On an exhalation your chest and lower ribs relax. I realized this when one of our head teachers at the teacher training caught me instructing my group to fill their bellies on an inhalation. She promptly scolded me and instructed me to hold either side of my lower ribs with my hands and feel my ribs spreading and expanding back towards my spine with an inhalation. “This is proper breathing”, she said, enlightening us on the obvious. Needless to say I will never mention filled bellies and breathing again in the same sentence.

Posture also plays an important role in how we breathe. Ideally, we should all be walking around with our navel pulled in, our chests forward and shoulders back. This allows the breath to flow smoothly in on an inhalation and evenly out on an exhalation. A caved in chest and hunched shoulders restrict the flow of the breath through our body. It’s like blowing through a straight hollow straw versus one that is bent. With the former, the air flows effortlessly in at one end and out the other. Of course, for the majority of us lifestyle demands have forced us to go about our days in all sorts of breath unfriendly postures. The invention of the computer for one has taken its toll on our shoulders, necks and backs. Drawing your attention to your posture throughout the day and checking for a proper position can make a world of difference in how you breathe.

Our state of mind tends to determine our pattern of breathing. When we are relaxed and happy, our inhalations and exhalations are similarly smooth and easy. When we are anxious or angry, our inhalations and exhalations are short and rough. What if how we breathe were to determine our state of mind? Well in the past few months I have tried to give this a go. Throughout the day I draw my attention to my breath. As my mind runs wild with thoughts, I focus on my inhalation and exhalation. This I find forces me to be present in the moment rather than thinking the usual wants and “should have, could have, would have” thoughts of the day. Being focused in the moment is surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing. It allows me to be more aware of my day and how I choose to pass my time. It also results in continuous deep and easy breathing.

I practiced Ashtanga yoga with a friend yesterday morning at my apartment. We followed a DVD by Richard Freeman. At one point he said something about how the breath is the heart of a posture, which resonates well with me especially with my newfound appreciation for breathing.

Feel like nourishing your mind, body and soul? Try focusing on your breath in your yoga practice or just throughout your day. Enjoy a mindful inhalation and exhalation. A bit, or preferably more, of proper breath can do wonders in the long run.