The Importance of the Breath

by Linda McVicar

Breathing to most people, or at least the average fit and healthy person who has no health related problems in this area, is something we do automatically without ever really thinking about it. The only time we do think about it is when we are experiencing difficulties such as when we have a cold and a blocked nose, or when we are out of breath, perhaps from physical exertion or perhaps when we have had a scare or a fright we notice how our breathing becomes shallow and speeds up.

So why bother to examine or even think about the breath and how we breathe if we do it naturally? Well if we stop to consider just how important breathing is to us, i.e. if we are unable to breathe for more than a few minutes we would not survive, then we appreciate its importance. In the words of Swami Satyananda Saraswati¹ “the breath is the most vital process of the body. It influences the activities of each and every cell and most importantly is intimately linked with performance of the brain.” When we add this importance to the fact that a high number of people in the population are not breathing properly or are ‘inefficient breathers’ then this becomes a cause for concern and a reason to examine it and ask where are we going wrong.

So what determines a poor breather and what effects can this inefficient breathing have on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?

Firstly let us define ‘poor breathing’. An inefficient breather is someone who breathes fast and shallow which means moving only high up in the chest on inhalation. They may often breathe through the mouth instead of the nose, and they may often hold their breath completely for periods without realising they are doing so. Shallow fast breathing reduces carbon dioxide in the body. This can slow the circulation of blood and oxygen around the body and to the brain. When there is a shorter supply of oxygen it can then cause the brain (the body’s control centre) to put the body into oxygen starvation mode as a form of protection. This triggers the adrenals into fight or flight response as there is a perceived threat to the body, this in turn increases the heart rate, and when accompanied with a stressful situation can make for feelings of distress, inability to cope and confusion. This whole process can be quite draining on the body and if it continues on a regular basis it can lead to tiredness, irritability and health problems. On an emotional level it can lead to anxiety and tension, which if ongoing, can lead to depression and feelings of not being able to cope with life. Mentally, when the brain is starved of oxygen it becomes difficult to concentrate on the task at hand, the memory begins to suffer and we can appear ‘scatter brained’.

So what causes people to become inefficient breathers? Surely we are all born knowing how to breathe, so how can some people get it right and others get it wrong? Well there are a few factors that affects our ability to breathe well:

• One of the biggest contributing factors is our posture, or to be more exact, bad posture! We tend to assume slouched positions, perhaps from sitting at a computer or at a desk all day, every day. This can cause the shoulders to hunch forwards and tighten the muscles at the front of the chest, which can diminish lung capacity and restrict our breathing. We need to be open and free in the chest in order to get the best out of our breathing and encourage slow deep inhales. The more we assume these positions the more comfortable it is to sit slouched and sitting with an open chest becomes more difficult as the muscles of the back and chest have to work harder to remain open. This then means its easier to sit wrongly and therefore most people do not correct their posture and the breathing suffers as a result.
• Mental tension/stress: When confronted with a logical problem we tend to lean forwards and draw our head down, cross our arms or place our head in our hands. The more intensely we concentrate the more tense our muscles become. The front of the body becomes contracted and shortened which in turn affects our ability to breath. Sometimes when we are concentrating so much we tend to stop the breath completely for periods of time. Again this is a habit that we are not aware of and it is a habit which requires awareness to correct.
• Our lifestyle: we live in a society which unfortunately hinders our breathing. There is so much smoke and other pollutants in the air these days, which discourages us from inhaling deeply, as we try to avoid filling our lungs with this polluted and often stale air as a way to protect ourselves. Over time this can become a habit and even when we are in an environment where the air is clean and fresh we have forgotten how to inhale deeply or are no longer aware of the need to.
• Emotional State: It is a well known scientific fact that our emotional moods affect how we breathe, if we are angry or upset the breathing quickens and likewise if we are scared or worried about something. When we are unable to control the emotions and let the emotions control us completely then we are up and down emotionally several times a day and the breathing suffers as a result. If we only realise that the breath has the ability to help control our emotions just as emotions control our breathing – they are so closely linked, we could turn these bad habits into good ones.

So knowing what causes insufficient breathing – what can we do about it to rectify the situation?

Well let’s look at what makes you a good breather. An efficient breather will breathe slowly and deeply engaging the diaphragm and the entire abdomen, which massage the internal organs. They normally breathe through the nose which filters the air via the cilia in the nostrils (tiny hairs) which trap any unwanted dust particles and other foreign bodies from entering the respiratory system. Breathing through the nose also warms, cools or humidifies the air before it enters the lungs, it also naturally slows the breathing rate down as opposed to breathing through the mouth which encourages hyper ventilation and quick breathing. The efficient breather has the correct proportion of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood stream and therefore the blood and oxygen circulate easily through the properly dilated blood vessels, feeding the body systems and brain. Slow deep efficient breathing activates the nervous systems parasympathetic system into relaxation and thus promotes feelings of well being, relaxed calm state of mind, it slows the heart rate, and generally makes the person feel happier, able to cope and more emotionally stable. The brain also benefits from the oxygen and this can improve concentration, memory and decision making, promotes a feeling of clear headedness.

So knowing what makes a bad breather and what makes a good one we now want to ensure that we look at our breathing habits and try to change them? Here are a few quick tips:

• Start by observing your breath and note how you breathe.
• Correct your posture so that you are not slumping forward contracting the chest, keep it open and free.
• Always breathe through the nose (wherever possible) and try to breathe slowly and deeply inhaling into the abdomen then into the chest and shoulders and exhaling slowly from the bottom of the abdomen up into the chest and shoulders. Ensure you engage your diaphragm with deep breathing.

Very soon you should start to feel the benefits that proper efficient breathing has to offer. Try it for yourself!

¹Asana, Pranayam, Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati page 167