Breath is essential to life. It is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do when we leave. What we may not realize is that the mind, body, and breath are connected. Our breath can help us during stressful times. Learning to breathe consciously can be a valuable tool in helping to bring balance in the mind and body.
Some documented benefits of a regular deep breathing practice include:
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Lower/stabilized blood pressure
- Increased energy levels
- Muscle relaxation
- Decreased feelings of stress and overwhelm
There is a growing appreciation for the positive impact that deep breathing can have on the physiology, both in the mind and the body. Many of these beneficial effects can be attributed to reducing the stress response in the body.
When an individual experiences stress, it triggers the body’s “fight or flight” response. Our breathing becomes rapid and shallow, stopping in the chest rather than in the lower lungs. This can make an individual feel short of breath, anxious or frustrated. At the same time, your body produces a surge of hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), which increase your blood pressure and pulse rate.
Deep breathing can reverse these symptoms. When you breathe deeply and slowly, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reverses the stress response in your body. Deep breathing stimulates the main nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system—the vagus nerve—slowing down your heart rate, lowering your blood pressure, and calming your body and mind.
When you practice deep breathing, you engage the abdominal muscles and diaphragm instead of the muscles in the upper chest and neck. This conditions the respiratory muscles which promotes improved efficiency of oxygen exchange, allowing more air exchange to occur in the lower lungs. It also reduces strain on the muscles of the neck and upper chest, allowing these muscles to relax. Deep breathing is more relaxing and efficient, allowing higher volumes of oxygen to reach the body’s cells and tissues.
Deep breathing can help calm and slow down the emotional upset as well. Breathing can have an immediate effect on diffusing emotional energy.
There are several different ways to practice deep breathing.
- Complete belly breath – place one hand on your belly, inhale through your nose, filling up the belly. When you cannot inhale anymore air, pause briefly, then exhale slowly and completely.
- Alternate nostril breathing – hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril. At your full inhale, close the left nostril with the forth finger and exhale through the right nostril. Alternate this breathing technique for 3-5 minutes. This technique is almost instantly calming.
- Ujjayi (ocean) breath – take a slow, deep inhale through the nose. Keeping the mouth closed, constrict the throat muscles and exhale through the nose – making the sound of the ocean (similar to Darth Vader). This technique helps settle your mind and bring your focus inward.
- Energizing breath – start by relaxing the shoulders and taking a few deep breaths. Begin to inhale and exhale forcefully at one second per cycle. Breathe from the diaphragm, while keeping the head, neck, shoulders and chest still.
The next time you feel anxious, stressed, uneasy or sluggish try using your breath to help soothe and calm you. It works!
