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Breathing

Pranayama

The breath is a bridge to divine consciousness.

An old yoga story describes a discussion between Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Breath, about which one was most important. One of them said, “Let’s see which one humans can live without!” So, Sight left, and the group realized that in fact humans could live without their sense of sight. Then Hearing left, and once again they realized Hearing was not the most important. Taste, Smell, and Touch took their turns, only to discover they were not essential for the human experience. When Breath left, however, the human being could no
longer live.

Breath awareness is perhaps the most valuable tool we gain from yoga. We are not taught how to breathe properly in our culture and as a result, our breath is often restricted by habitual stress responses over time. Being aware of the breath helps us to reduce stress, sleep better, feel healthier, and be our best Self! Breathing exercises improve our physical, mental, and spiritual vitality, and when practiced properly, can also enhance the practice of yoga poses.

Understanding Bio-energy or Life Force

In yoga philosophy, it is believed that breath is the vehicle for prana. The root word of prana is an which means “to breathe.” All cultural traditions of the world describe the breath in a spiritual manner because breath gives life, as witnessed by a baby’s first breath. The Chinese concept of chi is often compared to prana, referring to life force or all-pervading energy of the universe. Prana can perhaps best be understood as a combination of energy and breath.

Ancient yogis studied prana in tremendous detail and discovered three major channels of energy in the body along which prana flows called nadis. This is first noted in the early eighteenth-century text, the Shiva Samhita. The nadis include the left channel (ida), the right channel (pingala), and the central channel (sushumna). The left channel begins at the base of the spine and exits out the left nostril when you breathe. The right channel does the same, but exits out the right nostril instead of the left. If you pay attention to your breath, you will notice that sometimes one nostril is more open, or predominant, than the other. This is called the infradian rhythm and it naturally alternates every one and a half to two hours throughout the course of the day.

Sometimes the nostrils are open equally, signifying that the central channel is open. In this state, the mind and body are in balance and the energy of the body flows freely, often between four and five in the morning. This is the common time of day chosen for meditation, as the senses tend to be less affected by the external world and the endless stream of thoughts from the unconscious mind slows considerably. The three channels wind up and intersect along the spinal column and the intersections are known as energetic power centers called chakras (see Step Six). The chakras highlight the connection between the breath and the subtle energies that flow throughout the entire nervous system.

We all have a pranic (energy) field that surrounds us; in scientific terms this is recognized as a measurable electromagnetic field. Yoga poses strengthen the vertebral column and the trunk of the body, improving the function of the central energetic channel. As we develop body awareness, we may begin to notice the subtle flow of energy during a yoga pose. Once we recognize the flow of energy, we can consciously direct it, helping us to achieve greater health.

The Roots of Breathing Exercises

The fourth step of The 8-Fold Path of Yoga relates to breath, specifically to regulating inhalation and exhalation. It is known as pranayama; prana meaning life force energy (closely related to the breath) and yama relating to control, restraint, or regulation. The yogis discovered that the breath is one of the few involuntary processes in the body that can also be consciously controlled. Pranayama, therefore, refers to the conscious control of the breath, with the intention of affecting the life force.

In the English language, the words inhalation and exhalation both come from the same derivative hale. It is interesting to note that hale is also the same root for the words whole and heal. Another word used to describe inhalation is inspiration. Not only does the word inspiration typically refer to feeling inspired, the root spirit is the foundation of the word inspiration. It is no wonder that the concepts of breath and spirit are linked in many different cultures.

The Sheaths (Koshas)

Yoga’s philosophy of breath can be better understood by studying the koshas, or sheaths. As presented in the ancient Sanskrit text the Upanishads, the sheaths demonstrate that each level of consciousness, or layer of being, is guided by a subtler counterpart. The outermost sheath is made up of matter, or the physical body. The physical body changes significantly over time as we age. We come to realize that we are more than just physical manifestation. Within the body sheath, and slightly more subtle, is the prana, or breath. The body affects the breath and the breath can affect the body. By developing conscious breathing practices, we can influence this subtle relationship; this is the fundamental reason that we study pranayama today. When we breathe deeply into the diaphragm, the body relaxes and lets go of stress; when breathing is rapid and shallow, the body becomes tense.

Within the prana sheath, and even more subtle, are our emotional responses to external situations. When we are frightened, we gasp for breath or stop breathing altogether. The body becomes very tense. When we cry heavily, breath comes in short spurts and the body quivers. When we are content, the breath is deep and slow, and the body is relaxed. These heightened states of emotion have profound effects on breathing, in turn affecting the physical body. Even more subtle than the emotions is the intellect. This is the higher Self, the voice of wisdom that says “Yes, I’m feeling sad, but this too shall pass.” When we are connected to our true Self, the breath is more likely to be peaceful regardless of emotional or external circumstances. Finally, the most subtle of all the sheaths is the bliss sheath, the state of universal consciousness through which we are connected to all beings.

Through conscious direction of the breath, we can connect the various aspects, or sheaths, of our being, from the physical plane through to universal consciousness. Conscious breath control can transform you at every level, supporting total health and vitality. By correlation, the breath is a reflection of the spiritual self, mind, emotions, and body. It is reported that ancient yogis could read the mind of a person just by observing their breath! The yogis noted people who were vital, healthy, and long-lived, only to find that those with the most vitality knew how to breathe slowly and deeply. They also noticed that animals with a slow deep breath, such as the elephant or tortoise, had long life spans. Animals with short, rapid breathing patterns such as a mouse or insect, lived relatively short lives. In yoga, there is a saying that we are given a certain number of breaths in life and in order to live to an old age we have to be sure to make each breath last as long as possible!

Benefits of Breath Control

Note: The information about pranayama is extensive and in order to truly master it, long-term, structured study with a yoga teacher is required.

In regards to physical health, modern scientists are now rediscovering truths about breathing that yoga has known for more than four centuries. Inhalation and exhalation are the mechanisms used to draw oxygen to the lungs and expel the waste product of carbon dioxide. Conscious deep breathing develops the respiratory organs and aids in the circulation of blood.

Diaphragmatic breathing (see page 84) enables more oxygen to enter the body because it reaches the lowest part of the lungs, where most of the blood vessels for absorbing the oxygen and transmitting it throughout the body are located. When we are stressed out, we primarily breathe into the upper chest, limiting oxygen metabolism. Increased oxygen metabolism helps the body metabolize food and produce energy.

Another benefit to breathing into the lower portion of the lungs is the gentle intra-abdominal compression that results from inhaling and exhaling. As the stomach expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale, the internal organs are massaged. This massage increases blood flow in and around the organs, energizing the cells with vital oxygen. This increases the health and vitality of the digestive, reproductive, and eliminatory organs, as well as adrenal glands (which regulate hormone balance) and the lymphatic system (which cleanses the body via muscular contraction and relaxation).

The slowing down and deepening of the breath has three positive benefits: First, your lungs can only absorb a certain amount of oxygen in any given moment. The tiny air sacs of the lungs, known as alveoli, absorb oxygen like a dry sponge soaking up water—it takes a few moments to absorb everything. A slow inhale allows for maximum absorption. Second, the heart rate decreases with a slow exhale, reducing the amount of work the heart has to do. Finally, breathing slowly calms the nervous system. When the nervous system is relaxed, the digestive system functions better and sleep, relaxation, and peace of mind come more easily.

The psychological benefits of pranayama are significant. You can automatically shift your emotional response to situations by changing your breath to a slower and deeper pattern. Deep breathing can calm your mind and alleviate stress. The old adage of taking ten breaths before responding in anger is wise advice! Ultimately, the breath anchors and steadies the mind.

Pranayama relaxes the nervous system and enables the frontal lobe of the brain to function, thereby increasing the capacity for higher consciousness and reasoning. Typically, the sympathetic nervous system is activated in order to prepare us to fight the situation when we are under stress or in some kind of emotional imbalance. All of our blood (and therefore oxygen) is sent to the muscles in preparation for battle. If we learn to practice relaxed breathing in these situations, we can enjoy greater connection to the higher Self, our source of inner wisdom. Where the mind goes, the breath follows. And yet the opposite is true as well. Rather than be ruled by anxiety or stress, we can learn to be calm in challenging circumstances through breath regulation.

Remember that the breath is not a cure-all, but rather an essential element of the yoga lifestyle. Breathing is the most common focal point used in meditation techniques across cultures and traditions. It is a way of training the mind to become still, which must occur if we are to achieve the highest states of consciousness. Focusing on the breath, however, is no easy task! It is said that the average mind can focus for about 3.5 seconds before wandering to another thought or sensation. Most people have never experienced a moment of their mind being truly still. If this includes you, that’s okay! You have a lot to look forward to. It is this state of stillness or a quiet mind that invokes the words nirvana, bliss, ecstasy, union, oneness, and countless other explanations for the highest states of consciousness reached through yoga.

In its essence, breathing is an act of both giving and receiving. Experienced as such, the breath connects us to every other living being on the planet. As we inhale, we receive the gift of life through oxygen and prana. Without this gift we would be dead in a matter of minutes. As we exhale, we return the gift to the universe in the form of carbon dioxide, without which the plants on earth would die. The breath can also be viewed as a metaphor for letting go. Holding on to the breath creates suffering in a matter of twenty or thirty seconds! So the simple act of breathing, when we are tuned in to it, has a great capacity for peace and well-being.

Breathing Exercises

The breathing exercises listed here are adapted from the yoga program at The Yoga Institute of Mumbai, India, in part due to the simplicity of the exercises. The field of yoga at large offers hundreds of breathing exercises that combine elements of the exercises listed below. Like most aspects of yoga, years of study reveal subtle lessons.

Please use caution when doing breathing exercises. It is fine to be aware of normal breathing throughout the day, but avoid practicing more than thirty rounds of breathing exercises (a round equals one inhale and one exhale), two times per day. The lungs, like every other system of the body, require time to improve. Furthermore, your heart rate is accustomed to your breathing pattern, and abrupt changes can strain the heart and disrupt other systems of the body. Allow three to six months of gradual daily practice to reach a slow, easy breath. What you will probably discover is that as your emotional state of mind balances through holistic yoga practice, your breath will deepen.

As with other yoga practices, intention in breathing exercises is important. Think about the unconscious thought that is absorbed with each breath. If breathing is rushed, we absorb a disturbed intention. When breathing is consciously regulated, we align our personal intention with each breath. As you experiment with the exercises below, notice how at first your mind is busy with learning the exercise, but, once you are in a rhythm, the mind has a tendency to wander. At this stage, it will help your concentration significantly if you align the breath with the inspiring personal intention that you chose during Step One.

Natural Breath Observation

At a breath of two seconds in and two seconds out, we breathe about 21,600 breaths per day. How many of these breaths are we aware of?

Many people have little experience with observing their breath, so exploring it can be a profound experience. Begin by closing your eyes and simply observe your breath flow in and out of your nose. Nostril breathing (with the mouth relaxed and closed) is recommended because the nose filters and warms the air before it reaches the lungs. Breathing through the nasal passages also tones and balances the mucous membranes. Breathing through the mouth can irritate the throat. If you’re unable to breathe in through the nose, inhale through the mouth and out through the nose only, if possible.

Breathing Observation Points

What does it feel like to observe your breath?
Can you feel the physical sensation of the breath in and out of the nose?
Is the temperature warm or cool?
Is the breath slow or rapid?
Is it smooth or bumpy?
Is your breath restricted and, if so, where?
Which part of your body moves when you breathe? This will show you which part of the lungs you are using.
Do you hold your breath after inhalation or pause after exhalation?
Does the force of the breath stay consistent, or is it stronger at the beginning of the cycle?
Is your breath longer on inhalation or exhalation, or is it even?

For the next few days, pay attention to your breathing for five minutes a day, becoming more familiar and intimate with your natural breath. This will help you develop awareness of your breathing patterns and begin using the breath as a tool for developing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Breathing into the stomach can seem like an unnatural thing to do when you are accustomed to breathing into the upper chest. When babies breathe, their stomachs rise and fall with their breath—this is the original state of breathing we are all born with. Restrictions in breathing develop over time, usually due to stress. The technique of diaphragmatic breathing is a practice of re-learning the natural breath. It may feel difficult at first. Please remember not to force this breath, but allow it. It is very important to learn how to practice breathing in a slow, deep, relaxed fashion before approaching the different breathing techniques.

Diaphragmatic breathing is new for most adults and requires both relaxation as well as the development of some of the lesser-used abdominal muscles. Many people hold tension in the belly without even realizing it. This may have to do with the habit of sucking in the stomach to look thin. And it can also involve repressed emotions that get stored in the muscles and energetic system. Letting go of the stomach muscles might mean losing emotional control. Be aware while practicing pranayama (and yoga poses, as they also involve breathing regulation) that emotional release can occur as the muscles in the stomach relax. For this reason, it’s suggested to practice pranayama in a safe, undisturbed environment.

It is easiest to practice diaphragmatic breathing while lying on your back on the floor, knees bent, arms relaxed at your side, eyes closed. Place one hand on your stomach and one hand on your upper chest. Keep the hand on the chest still, while you notice the hand on your stomach rise and fall. Breathe into the stomach, allowing the muscles to relax and expand as you inhale. With the exhale, pull the stomach back toward the spine, creating a concave feeling, or a feeling of sucking in or compressing the stomach. You might imagine pulling the navel in and up under your rib cage. Feel the stomach fill with air again and then release. Using the image of a balloon inflating and deflating can be very helpful. This should be a very comfortable exercise. If the floor is not comfortable, you can also practice sitting in a chair or crossed legged on the floor. When in a seated position, sitting with a straight spine is best. If your spine rounds, sit on a blanket or pillow to tilt your pelvis forward, which will naturally straighten your spine.

Though you’re concentrating on breathing into the stomach, you are not actually breathing into the stomach, but into the lower lungs. At this point, it’s helpful to know a bit about the relationship between the lungs and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a large umbrella-shaped muscle between your abdomen and rib cage that assists the lungs in breathing. As you inhale, the diaphragm is pushed down and the lungs fill with air, causing the abdominal organs to push downward and the abdomen to bulge forward. As you exhale, the abdominal wall contracts and pushes the abdominal organs upward against a relaxed diaphragm, compressing and emptying the lungs.

Just starting out, I recommend ten rounds diaphragmatic breathing as beginners practice. For the first couple of rounds, simply count the length of your inhalation and exhalation. Then gently slow your breath down. Try to make the count even for both (for example, five seconds on the inhale and five seconds on the exhale). Start with a count of three to five seconds and work your way up one second per week to five to ten seconds and beyond as it is comfortable.

Three-Part Yogic Breath
(Diaphragmatic Thoracic Clavicular)

After mastering the diaphragmatic breath, you can move on to the three-part yogic breath. In three-part breathing, three portions of the lungs are involved in respiration—the lower, middle, and upper lungs. The lower lungs are utilized in diaphragmatic breathing, as explained above.

While lying on the floor (alternate positions would be sitting or standing and leaning slightly forward), place your hands on the rib cage and try to feel your ribs, as well as the muscles between your ribs. These muscles are called intercostal muscles, and they have the ability to expand with inhalation. When flexible, these muscles play a role in natural, effortless breathing. Most of us do not use these muscles on a daily basis, and often we’re not even able to distinguish them. As a result, it may take some practice to isolate these muscles. Don’t worry if you can’t detect movement at first; with time you will be able to isolate breathing into the rib cage.

Breathe into your lower lungs, watching your belly rise. Allow the breath to rise up and expand the rib cage laterally, thereby engaging the middle portion of the lungs. Be careful that you don’t start breathing into the top part of the lungs, which lifts the rib cage. As soon as the rib cage begins to lift, it is impossible to expand laterally. As you exhale, use the same muscles to pull the rib cage in, pushing air out of the lungs, until the ribs press in slightly. This requires more contraction than when you are just resting. Many people think that emptying their lungs is bringing the rib cage into a position similar to when you’re reclining in the chair. To exhale fully, you’ll have to squeeze the ribs in.

After you have experienced breathing into your ribs, you can move on to the final part of the three-part yogic breath. Allow the breath to rise up and fill the upper portion of the lungs. Return your hands to their original position, one on the stomach and one on the upper chest. It can be helpful to take a deep inhale and then just when you think you’ve inhaled completely, inhale a little bit more. You may feel a deep expansion in the upper lungs and a lift in the upper clavicle area. This type of breathing is usually only felt in very rigorous exercise. Once you have completely inhaled, release the breath and contract the upper chest, rib cage, and stomach, respectively. An image of exhaling would be one of wringing or squeezing water out of a washcloth. The complete three-part breath cycle begins on the inhale in the stomach, rises up to expand the rib cage, rises up to fill the upper lungs, and then releases in reverse order. Try practicing ten rounds right now and notice how you feel afterward.

When performing a yoga pose, try to breathe like this, as you’ll get more benefits by doing so. When you are just beginning, inhale for six seconds and exhale for six seconds. Gradually increase one second per week until you reach fifteen seconds in and fifteen seconds out. If you find that you need more time to adjust, increase your breath by one second every two weeks; proceeding gradually and at your own pace is most important.

Some individuals will be able to increase their breathing pattern to 15–25 seconds in and 15–25 seconds out. At this point, you should feel completely comfortable breathing into each part of the lungs. You are able to articulate the breath into each section of the lungs and have good control over the length of the breath. Inhalation and exhalation are of the same duration and the breath harmonizes in an easy, consistent flow through the three areas of the lungs. When this mastery is achieved, three-part lung breathing is known as equal breathing.

Motivational Example

A college gymnast was completing her thesis on stretching as a physical education major. She could do a full split and contort her body similar to an advanced yogi. However, her breath was restricted to the upper chest or clavicle region. Her face was tense as she pushed her body into an advanced pose. At this moment, I asked her to observe her breathing, instructing her to exhale completely and then inhale from the diaphragm first, intercostal muscles second, and upper chest last. She recognized two things immediately. First, she relaxed and smiled. As she relaxed, the discomfort from stretching was released. The flexible gymnast discovered that she was quite inflexible in her intercostal muscles, which move the rib cage laterally. Needless to say, her final thesis included a discussion on the benefits of breathing!

Breath Retention

Breath retention involves holding your breath after inhaling. To work on breath retention, inhale to the count of four, retain the breath for eight, and exhale for four. It’s that simple! When you practice, do ten rounds and again, notice how you feel afterward. If four seconds is too short or long of an exhale/inhale count, adjust to what is comfortable for you.

Breath retention helps improve lung capacity and heart health. It forces open every unused air-cell in the lungs and stimulates the sluggish ones to healthy action. Respiration is improved through increased exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, reducing strain on the circulatory system. The yogis believe this practice facilitates increased health, longevity, and concentration.

Breath Suspension

The opposite of breath retention, breath suspension, involves holding the breath after exhaling. To practice, sit in a comfortable position. Count your natural inhale, then exhale at the same count, and finally suspend your breath for twice the count. Using the earlier example, inhale for four, exhale for four, and hold for eight with the lungs empty. While your breath is suspended, draw the abdomen in toward the spine. Do ten rounds. Breath suspension is best practiced in the morning prior to breakfast.

This breathing exercise is extremely useful for a weak stomach or sluggish colon. It is contraindicated for those with serious heart conditions, women who are pregnant, and children under the age of twelve.

Victorious Breath

This breathing technique involves closing the mouth and drawing the breath in and out through the nose, creating a slight constriction in the throat. This partial closure of the glottis creates a sound that can be described in many ways—a soft snoring sound; the sound you would make to fog up and clean your glasses; the sound Darth Vader makes; the sound of the ocean; or the sound of “sa” on the inhale and “ha” on the exhale. Whatever description resonates with you, breathing is slow and deep and the sound created is even and continuous. During inhalation, you contract the abdominal muscles slightly and during exhalation, you hold the diaphragm in for a few seconds until all the air is expunged.

This breathing exercise can enhance ventilation of the lungs, calm the nerves, create vitality, reduce phlegm, and improve conditions of the throat.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing balances the energy channels on the left and right sides of the spine. In this exercise, the fingers are used to alternately close off the nostrils to allow the inhalation/exhalation to happen on either side. Start in a comfortable seated position and bring the right hand close to the face. Bend the middle and pointer finger down toward the palm so that you can use the ring finger and thumb to close off the right and left nostrils. Inhale deeply. Close off the right nostril with your thumb and exhale from the left nostril. Take a full inhale into the left nostril and close it off with the ring finger as you lift the thumb from the right nostril and exhale from it. Repeat to inhale into the right nostril, close it off, and exhale through the left.

As you become comfortable, inhale for a count of five, hold the breath in for a count of ten, and exhale for a count of five. When you’re just starting out, do five rounds on each side (ten rounds total); you can add more rounds with more experience.

Breathing in Yoga Poses

When practicing yoga poses, it is important to coordinate movement with breath. By breathing quietly and with intent during practice, we can slow the heartbeat, reduce blood pressure, and increase oxygen absorption in the body. In addition to these physical effects, breath focus during yoga practice enhances awareness of our internal environment. As we move through the poses, the focus on breath anchors the mind in the present moment and makes us more aware of how we are feeling emotionally and spiritually. Coordinating breath with movement synchronizes the body and brings about a sense of harmony.

It is very common for yoga students to hold their breath while in a pose, particularly when learning. When you’re focused on physically performing the pose or are feeling discomfort, it can be challenging to concentrate on your breath. Don’t be hard on yourself, but make an effort to breathe fully and smoothly as you move through the poses. As the bridge between mind and body, observing the breath in a pose will bring you into the present moment and help you achieve mind-body-spirit union. Breath awareness makes the poses much easier to practice.

Over time, the rhythm of your breath in yoga poses will make more sense. For example, when bending forward, the stomach contracts as you exhale. If you try to inhale deeply as you bend forward, you’ll find it difficult, as both the stomach and lungs are compressed. Bending forward actually facilitates a full and complete exhale, which is also generally true in twist poses. As you twist, your lung capacity is restricted and it is easier to exhale. The exhalation enhances the twist and helps us release a bit more into the stretch.

On the other hand, when practicing an upward stretch like Palm Tree, inhaling actually helps your body to reach upward. As you breathe into the lungs, your body will feel lighter, almost like a balloon, and you’ll rise upward with ease. Similarly in backward bending stretches, the opening achieved in the chest enables the lungs to expand maximally. In a pose such as Cobra, where we lie on the stomach and lift the upper spine using the lower back muscles, inhaling helps us to rise up. Exhalation is a natural response to coming out of the pose, as the compression and emptying of the lungs lowers us to the floor. As your practice develops, you’ll find a natural breathing rhythm as you move in and out of the poses. Experiment and observe how the inhale and exhale enhance a particular movement within a pose.

In sideward bending stretches like Angle Pose, you can either inhale or exhale when coming into the pose; there are positive effects with either. When bending sideward to the right, the right lung is compressed, so it might feel more natural to exhale. However, in this same stretch to the right, the left lung is free to expand, so inhaling might feel comfortable as well. In general, exhaling as you come into the stretch may have the most benefit as it puts you in the frame of mind of releasing or letting go. In many ways, exhalation always offers us this benefit of encouraging the process of relaxing, and therefore going deeper, into a pose.

Most yoga classes cover the basics of breathing in the poses. However, if you’re interested in more advanced breathing techniques, you’ll want to work one-on-one with a yoga teacher trained in pranayama. In the previous example about the extremely flexible gymnast who had never performed breathing exercises, she is really no different from a beginner in yoga poses. Until she learns how to open her lungs, I would not recommend that she try any advanced breathing techniques. Instead, I’d encourage her to focus on smooth, rhythmic breathing and the effect that breathing has on her body, mind, and spirit as she moves through the poses. After she is comfortable with “the basics,” it’s appropriate for her to move on to more advanced styles of breathing under the supervision of a yoga teacher.

case study Mary’s Breath Awareness in Daily Life

As you progress in yoga, you’ll find it easier to deal with stressful situations, in no small part due to mastering breathing techniques. A good example of this is Mary, describing a typical day at home with her two children. She just heard the clock chime noon and has yet to get out of her pajamas. As she watches her infant and three-year-old throw toys and food all over the house, Mary’s shoulders meet her ears and her face grows tense. She realizes that this is all part of motherhood, but does it have to feel so out of control?

Later, during the kids’ midday nap, Mary takes a deep breath and reflects on her morning. She tries to breathe in, but her chest feels tight and her breath is ragged. Remembering yoga’s teachings about breath as a reflection of state of mind, Mary exhales and inhales a deeper breath. After a few more breaths, her shoulders start to relax and a smile spreads across her face. In that moment, Mary realizes that for the next few years, the house is going to be this way, and she’ll struggle less if she just stops resisting the situation. Even more poignant, she’s reminded of how important her role as a mother is.

Mary’s discoveries have meaning to those who feel stress and/or blockages in the body (that includes almost everyone!). The first thing to consider as you explore breathing is to simply notice what’s going on in your body and mind. We’re so accustomed to overlooking stress that it takes conscious awareness to become attuned to it. Breath sensitivity helps us to acknowledge that we are feeling stress—a great first step to get ourselves back in physical, mental, and spiritual harmony. The second step is to breathe into the areas of stress and tension until they release. You’ll notice that if you concentrate on relaxing tense areas of the body through breathing, that you’re able to “convince” the muscles to release. The third step is to become aware of the origins of your tension. As we come to understand the issues that are creating stress in our lives, we begin to notice tension when it first begins. By simply paying attention to the breath in daily life, it’s possible to eliminate stress before it becomes lodged in the body.

case study Steve Reducing Stress at Work

Steve’s story demonstrates just how transformative breathing exercises can be. Each afternoon at work, Steve typically reaches for a cup of coffee and a sweet snack as a pick-me-up to get through the day. Since Steve started doing yoga, he’s been paying more attention to how different foods affect his energy. After his coffee break, he experiences an initial lift in energy, followed by a frenetic feeling later in the day, only to be completely drained just two hours later.

After noticing this pattern, Steve decides to bring in herbal tea and a piece of fruit to replace his usual sugar and caffeine snack. He feels good about taking control over a habit that causes him daily stress. With this positive attitude, he unconsciously starts taking deeper breaths and he realizes how shallowly he’s been breathing all day long. Steve makes a commitment to consciously breathe throughout the day, starting with three minutes of deep breathing every two hours.

The increased sensitivity that Steve is developing through yoga has profound physical and emotional effects. Beyond the physical benefits of taking deeper, slower breaths, Steve is noticing his behavioral choices throughout the day. He’s realizing how his emotions drive him to reach for junk food and is learning to work through his emotions, making him not only thinner but at greater peace with himself. He stops overeating at lunch or reacting emotionally to every new situation. Instead, he takes a deep breath, has faith in himself and his co-workers, and takes care of problems as they arise. There have even been days where Steve has felt no stress in a workplace filled with problems and chaos.

Steve exemplifies the single most valuable benefit from a beginner’s yoga class: Learning how to be aware of emotional states. The breath, as the foundation of yoga pose practice, is a valuable tool in developing emotional sensitivity and remaining stable, calm, and positive in every situation.

Connecting to the Infinite

Breathing exercises, or pranayama, are instrumental in practicing yoga and experiencing a healthy life. Through conscious awareness and control of the breath, you have the means to transform yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Breathing connects your physical body to the more subtle layers of your being, right to the core of your highest consciousness. It is an extremely powerful method for accessing your true spiritual nature—the wisdom that pervades all living things at every moment in time. Pranayama can be studied and practiced for many years, and still not be mastered. Take your time, enjoy the process, and commit to feeling good!

Exercises

1. Are you able to breathe into the three areas of your lungs: diaphragm (belly), intercostals (lateral expansion of rib cage), and clavicle (upper chest area)? If not, where do you feel constricted? Can you try to relax these areas? Is your breath erratic, or slow and steady? Try to relax your body and breathe with as much ease as possible. If your breath feels constricted, erratic, or shallow, try breathing in another position. If you’re sitting with a straight back and feeling uncomfortable, try standing up or lying down in order to adjust your breathing pattern. Then, return to the seated position. If this continues to be difficult, consult a yoga teacher or a health professional.

2. Do you remember to pay attention to your breathing in every yoga pose? Usually, when you’re struggling the most in a pose, you’re not fully breathing. Try to remember this as you practice and consistently ask yourself, “Am I breathing?” Come into and out of the pose on the inhale and exhale, depending on what is appropriate. Most importantly, breathe slowly and be aware of how you’re feeling as you practice the poses.

3. Do you maintain awareness of breathing throughout the day? What do you notice about your breathing patterns? Experiment with the breathing exercises described in this chapter. Is there one that feels particularly relaxing? Zero in on one or two exercises that you practice off and on through your day. For example, you may find that breath retention helps you unwind through increased oxygen absorption.

4. Once the breathing exercise becomes easy and comfortable to practice, remember to apply your personal intention from Step One. What do you notice as a result of applying intention to the breath?

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