What is breathing?

New Life Journal, July, 2005 by David Aukamp

Aaaaah, take a deep breath and relax. Have you ever heard that before? There is actual a science and art behind this universal statement that can help reduce stress.

First, what is breathing? You may think that because it is automatic that it does not require your attention. Besides, if you don't think about it, you are still being breathed. Air still travels through your nose, down the trachea, and finally to the alveoli where oxygen enters your blood and CO2 is sent back into the air ... whether you think about it or not.

I remember the story of a Zen student asking his teacher about focusing on the breath. The student said that it was boring and he did not understand what the big deal was. His teacher asked his student to close his mouth, cover his right nostril with his thumb and cover his left nostril with his pinky and ring finger. The teacher asked the student to continue to do this until he found his breath interesting. As you can imagine it did not take too long. Try it if you are not convinced!

The way we breathe is important, not just that we breathe. Most of us tend to breathe very shallowly, using only the upper lungs and chest. "Shallow, fast breathing reduces the carbon dioxide in the body, which constricts blood vessels and slows the circulation of blood and oxygen to the body and brain. Oxygen starvation chronically excites the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and the fight or flight response," says Richard Rosen, author of The Yoga of Breath. The fight or flight response is an important mechanism in an emergency, like being chased by a tiger. However, today our tiger is someone cutting us off in traffic, and we rarely truly need this over-reaction. Instead, we can take a deep breath and relax.

The ancient yogis called this pranayama. You can break down the word pranayama to prana and ayama. "Prana literally means 'to breathe forth' and ayama means 'to stretch, extend, expand, lengthen either in space or time'.", says Mr. Rosen H. David Coulter, author of Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, says, "Yogis emphasize choice. They have discovered the value of regulating respiration consciously, of breathing evenly and diaphragmatically, of hyperventilating for specific purposes, and of suspending the breath at will." When you breathe more deeply, it is a direct signal to your autonomic nervous system to chill out. In other words, breathing more deeply allows you to relax, the opposite of the fight or flight syndrome.

TRY THIS

Following are two specific techniques commonly used in Hatha Yoga that will leave you feeling calm and relaxed.

The first is the complete breath or yogic breath. It is easily practiced supine (lying on your back).

* First, start with your right hand on your belly button and your left hand on your right hand.

* Close your eyes and breathe naturally. After a few breaths, you will notice that your hands are moving up and down with your breath. This movement demonstrates the lower lobes of your lungs filling. Continue for about one minute or so.

* Next, place your right hand in your left armpit and your left hand in your right armpit. Continue breathing more deeply and notice your rib cages expanding outward. This is movement is the middle lobes filling.

* Finally, keep your arms crossed and place your hands at the base of your neck. The movement that you feel now is the upper lobes of your lungs filling. You are now enjoying the complete yogic breath. The lower lobes filling first, followed by the middle lobes and then the upper.

Alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodanham). Practice sitting in a chair or on your yoga mat, sitting on a blanket to support an upright spine.

* Curl the middle and index fingers of your right hand into the palm of your right hand. Your thumb will be used to block off or close the right nostril and your ring and pinky finger together to close off the left nostril. (Not at the same time, of course.)

* Closing off your right nostril using your right thumb, exhale and inhale once through your left nostril.

* Close of your left nostril using the ring and pinky finger of your right hand, and exhale and inhale once through your right nostril while releasing the thumb.

* Close off the right nostril again and exhale and inhale once though your left nostril.

* Continue alternate nostril breathing, remembering your complete yogic breath for three to five minutes.

David Aukamp is the director/owner of Springs Yoga Studio at 4920 Roswell Road Suite 3, Atlanta, GA 30342. You can find out more about Springs Yoga at www.springsyoga.com or call 404-781-9642.