I can't remember a time that there was such a profound focus on the breath in our recent history. Thoughts of face coverings, masks, "air borne" etc... all swirl around in my mind. I'm sure google searches for "bronchial" and other anatomy of the pulmonary system shot through the roof at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. As an active meditator, practicing yogi and anatomy teacher, the importance of the respiratory system has never been lost on me.
Freedom of breath is synonymous with freedom of life on this earth - our breath marks when we enter the world and when we exit. We are carried in and out, around and throughout our lives on these beautiful puffs of air - each one rhythmically humming along with the beat of our heart and the electricity pulsing through our body.
Perhaps more than your average LA yoga teacher I stress to my students the importance of proper breath. Any student of mine will attest to me (joyfully) yelling through the classroom- "what's happening with your breath right now!? Don't pass out on me people!" I challenge them to genuinely link their movements to the respective inhalations and exhalations and the importance of honoring that natural rhythm in their physical and emotional bodies. And I truly believe that this a HUGE reason that yoga is so effective.
While most physical exercise rarely mention the mechanics of breath, an entire (and arguably one of the most important) components of yoga is dedicated only to breathing and the mind's attention to those inhalations and exhalations. It's said that ancient yogis believed the body was only given so many breaths, and that our job was to lengthen and slow them down, allowing the body and mind to evolve at the same rate and possibly attain samadhi / enlightenment in this lifetime. Different breathing exercises, called pranayama, utilize the breath as a gateway to the energy of the body and it's external environment. While some might scoff at this "woo woo" idea remember that the respiratory system is just that - a system. It is now confirmed that through our inhalations and exhalations we take in some 30 pounds of air molecules a day - more than we eat or drink. And like all other systems in the body, our respiratory system processes that molecular information, integrating parts that are helpful and releasing those that don't serve the body at that moment in time.
I find it invigorating that science is finally catching up to what many ancient traditions have known since the beginning. Yogis, the Greeks, Buddhists, Native Americans and Taoists all understood the correlation between proper breathing and one's health. A proper inhalation through the nose will trigger a hormonal release into the blood stream, helps lower blood pressure, and can even help with memory.
Recently NPR interviewed the author James Nestor who's book Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art was released just a few days before this blog post. Nestor explores in depth the science of breathing and explains his own experiments while writing the book. I highly suggest you check out both the book and the interview by Terry Gross if you're serious about sleeping better, reducing your anxiety, blood pressure and wanting to connect fully to the world around you.
Maybe that's not your thing - or you have too many books already on your nightstand - but I invite you to add a simple breathing exercise to your daily routine. The key to this exercise is not simply breathing but the visual component that goes along with it. If you've never seen lungs, I'm linking a video here that shows the beauty of human lungs as they conduct this molecular exchange. FYI - this is an actual cadaver and not for the faint of heart - but the beauty is arresting and brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. We'll get into the mechanics of the exercise on the next video!
Dani
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