OK, yes, of course you are, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog, but how is your breathing? Try this: place a hand on your chest and inhale through the nose. Feel the chest rising? Now move the hand down to the stomach. If you are breathing in the best way for your body, that should rise too as you inhale. For many of us, however, we have become shallow chest breathers. We all start life as deep abdominal breathers (watch the stomach of a baby rising and falling as he slumbers). But as we get older we encounter stress and our posture weakens. As a consequence we breathe more into our chests, without fully filling up our lungs.
The teaching of good breathing is pivotal in yoga. In a yoga class, once slow, deep, steady breathing is established, students are taught to combine breath with movement, with the breath initiating the movement. For example, on the start of an inhale, we open the arms to the side and raise them towards the sky, and on the start of the next exhale, we fold the upper body at the hips to come into a forward bend. Once in a posture, students are encouraged to focus on breathing deeply and smoothly, usually for five breaths, and to visualise the inbreath filling the upper body. Several effects ensue: most importantly, a strong internal focus develops, which results in a profound sense of calm, a feeling of being grounded, and a one-mindedness when holding stamina-demanding poses; a deep sense of body-awareness is developed, which over time accompanies you throughout your day; the muscles are enticed to relax, enabling stretches to deepen subtly.
There are a multitude of health benefits to gain from better breathing. Lung function improves because oxygen is brought right down to the lower part of the lungs which is a particularly blood-rich area. There is a greater exchange of fresh oxygen for gaseous waste, so oxygenation of the cells in the entire body is increased. Physical endurance is improved. And, of course, deep, slow, breaths have a profoundly calming effect. They can move our nervous system from the state of ‘fight-or-flight’ to the calming and restorative state of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – the state of ‘fight-or-flight’ - increases blood pressure and moves circulation away from the internal organs to the major muscles in our limbs in order to prepare our body to flee from danger, and at the same time releases potentially harmful stress hormones. The PNS, on the other hand, causes blood pressure to lower and the cardiovascular circulatory system to work more efficiently. In the modern world, where we are bombarded constantly with perceived threats, our nervous system is over-burdened as the SNS is triggered repeatedly through the day. Learning to kick in the PNS is a valuable tool for our cardiovascular health and general well-being.
Yoga does not just teach better breathing directly, but indirectly also by teaching good posture. Our posture profoundly affects our breathing ability. By rolling back and broadening the shoulders, and by strengthening our core muscles so we can stand and sit more erect, we free up space in our torso. We give our lungs more room to expand, and the diaphragm more space to move down on the inhale.
Better breathing and attention to posture do not just stop at the class door! Regular yoga practice will teach you to take this awareness with you throughout your day, developing over time a stronger and healthier body.
By Megan Hare.
Megan is a yoga teacher at Yama Yoga Studios in Doha. See www.yamayogastudios.com for information about her classes.
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