Power in Breathing
BREATHE
So, what’s the big deal? All the hype about the breath seems redundant, considering we breathe in and out automatically, every day (thankfully, I might add). In yoga practices, meditation practices, during exercise, or especially for calming down when I want to yell and lash out over an unpleasant situation… a nice deep breath is the ticket.
Take a breath. Go ahead… What was that? Air, yes. Breathe again, this time slowly and deeply… What did you just receive? Life! Without oxygen we cease to live. But is that all there is to our continual, rhythmic inhalation/exhalation process? Breathe another time… notice where you feel expansion in the body. Is it isolated to your upper chest? How fully are you able to expand the chest? Do you feel the diaphragm, abdomen, or back of the rib cage move? Do you ever wonder how much space in the body is available for oxygen, but not utilized? What internal improvements would you see if somehow our cells received more oxygen?
As a young teenager I would jog around the neighborhood. My breath was a way of rhythmically pacing myself, breathing simultaneously with my feet hitting the pavement, left-right-left-right, setting my pace. I was also regulating my inhale for 4 counts, then my exhale for four counts, 1-2-3-4, in rhythmic cadence as my feet would run to the same 4 counts. It seemed to carry me along like a song keeping tempo, the sound of my feet to the perfect beat. Little did I know I was utilizing breath regulation.
As a fitness instructor, I repeatedly reminded my class members that their breath was as necessary as proper movement and form. Emphasizing oxygen exchange while exerting oneself was an integral component for stamina and recovery. Not only did I find I could more easily regulate my heart rate, but also how much longer I was able to endure the aerobic activities.
While training as an E.M.T., I would experiment with lowering my blood pressure through the same focus on my breath. Many breathing modalities allow for various controls over functions in the body, like lung tissue stimulation, calming the nervous system, inhibiting pain, and expedite healing, to name a few of the many.
Even while backpacking or hiking, my experience in nature seems to take on more sensory delight with deep consumption of clean mountain air. The colors are more crisp, the boulders, cliffs, crags, and clouds more detailed; the flowers and foliage more fragrant. The experience is more refined with the deep breath of crisp, clean air. One becomes part of the landscape, a member of the animal kingdom, a curious witness to the majesty of nature. Through conscious breathing, one is able to experience a new connection to the natural world.
During one of my first yoga retreats, I was able to witness nature in another vivid and magical way. I was introduced to a type of breathwork that was totally new to me. It consisted of laying still, and deliberately breathing in deeply through the nose, and out through the mouth. Slowly at first, but becoming more rapid for what seemed like 30 minutes or so. My body began to tingle. Soon, I could feel what I can only explain as energy building in my body and blazing through my arms and out my fingertips. I began to see a vision of myself standing on a tall mountain top, a magnificent being, radiating a bright light all around. In this vision I felt vitality gathering in and through me, so powerful as if I were lifting into a state of pure energy.
Later during that same retreat, a new friend handed me a book she had come across at an old book store, The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath, written in 1903 by Yogi Ramacharaka. Branded as “The first authoritative word of the higher yogi philosophy.” The book consisted of studies from ancient cultures who devoted their time and attention to the development of man- physically, mentally and spiritually. I sat back in the silence of my one-man cabin and absorbed the discoveries described within the book. Page after page, I realized I have been experiencing the magic of breath in many ways, but not understanding the powerful benefits beyond just taking in air. I had a new understanding of the power in the breath and immersed myself in the delight of this ancient wisdom unfolding before me.
“To breathe is to live, and without breath there is no life. Not only (… ) the higher animals (… ) but even the lower forms of animal (...) and plant life is likewise dependent upon the air for continued existence (...) From the first faint breath (… ) to the last gasp (…) it is one long story of continued breathing.” Yogi Ramacharaka
The Science of Breath not only attends to our physical control and development, but offers emotional balance as well. Breathing incorrectly can contribute to concave chests, drooping shoulders, and respiratory disease. It is also linked to mental functions, happiness, self-control, clarity, morals and spiritual growth. Whole schools of ancient philosophy have been founded upon the science and knowledge of the breath!
Over 5,000 years ago, across the world, breathwork has been used for these purposes. Ancient Indian Upanishads used breath control for higher states of consciousness, achieving self-control and inner peace. In ancient China, healers practiced a type of breath control called Qigong, also translated as, “Remedy dancing” or “to work with vital energy.” Qigong is a practice of breathwork combined with meditation and body posture for martial arts training, as well as for health and spirituality. Ancient Egyptians utilized Sekhem (energy healing) breathwork as a source for greater well-being and achieving deeper connections with higher powers. The practice is still used in the present day, to balance and harmonize the body’s vital energy.
In Western cultures, people like Dr. W. Reich, Leonard Orr, and Wim Hof have studied the effects of breathwork to release repressed emotions and trauma, and for increasing anti-inflamatory hormones and immune responses, to name just a few. Today, people with PTSD are finding relief, coping with triggers and learning to calm their nervous system with the aid of breathwork.
Beside the fact that our bodies needs oxygen, what makes the breath so seemingly magical? Perhaps… Prana? Prana is a Sanskrit word translating to ‘Life-force energy’. Not only does the air we breathe contain oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, it contains this ‘Prana.’ Prana is all around us. We draw Prana from the sun’s energy, we absorb Prana from the natural foods we eat. We breathe in Prana from the space we dwell in. Prana is always available. We are always receiving life-force energy.
Now that we have touched on a few of the benefits of the power of the breath, let’s take it into practice with a trial example of “Box Breathing”, I invite you to follow. First, sit or stand erect. Visualize the straight spine from the tailbone to the crown of the head. Begin with the tongue resting at the roof of the mouth, lips gently closed. Start to breathe in through the nostrils slowly, focusing on the air coming in through the sinuses and into the lungs for the count of four, hold the breath at the top for a count of 4, then allow the breath to gently escape for the same slow count of four, holding the “empty breath” for a count of four. Repeat this for several breaths.
Next, as you feel the nervous system begin to slow down, you may lengthen the breath to 6 counts in and 6 counts out. As you do so, now focus on beginning the breath at the base of the stomach and lower back. As the breath comes in gently, let it fill upward into the ribcage. Allowing the ribs and chest cavity to expand around the sides, into the back as well as the chest. Continue drawing the breath up into the shoulder blades, under the collar bone and the base of the neck. You have just elevated the expansion of your lungs. Then, slowly allow the breath to escape, like a deflating balloon.
Take a few breaths now, envisioning this “full body inflation.” Starting low, moving up through the body, expanding in areas you don’t usually experience filling with air. I think of it as the “Whiskey Barrel Breath.” Imagine the breath like a liquid, and the body as the barrel. Each breath begins expanding each porous stave, or wooden slat, of a whiskey barrel. Evenly and fully, it begins filling with the “Prana,” the oxygen, the life. The barrel expands outward, evenly, becoming fuller and fuller. Maybe allow the breath at the very top of inhalation to linger for a minute, holding the air in as long as it is comfortable, and maybe see if you can sip in just a little more breath, evenly expanding the “barrel”. Then when you’re ready, allow it to escape with the same slow, rhythmic ease, through an imaginary straw. Remember to be mindful and grateful for the richness of life it carries into every cell!
You may actually feel a small pop here, or crackle there, as bones and tissues expand in areas that are normally stagnant, continuing this breathing cycle for 3 - 5 minutes. After some practice, you may want to increase to 10 or even 15 minutes. Always staying mindful of what sensations you feel in the body.
Alright! Nicely done! How do you feel now? Maybe even a little light headed? This is the release of stagnant energy, stagnant carbon and the lightness that comes from oxygen, and may I say ‘Prana’ saturation. This breathing practice can be used to calm your nerves, clear your mind, and bring you back to center. Try it anytime you need to re-focus!
Thank you for joining me in Morning Meds! If you have a moment, please leave me your comments. I appreciate your feedback, after all… We teach each other!
WORKING TOGETHER, LEARNING TOGETHER
