Breathing control gives man strength, vitality, inspiration, and magic powers. – Zhuangzi.

The healing benefits of Pranayama

Until recently, the power of breath has perhaps remained our society’s best kept secret. Needless to say, breath is the essence of life. It is the very first thing we do when we are born, and the last thing we do when we leave our precious human vessel. When we utilise the true power of breath, we access life. We access emotions buried deep within the cells and body tissue, and we become aware of repetitive thought patterns and belief systems that govern the subconscious. Breath has the ability to influence everything from our mood, to behaviour, habits and the choices we make. When we breathe in the way that our bodies were designed to breathe, we have access to the full spectrum of our being as deeply feeling, innately spiritual creatures. On the other hand, when our breath is shallow and coming mostly from the upper half of the body, we cut ourselves off from our life force, and from accessing deeper layers of repressed emotion lodged in the deeper layers of our body and psyche. There is a saying that shallow breathing results in shallow thoughts, and it’s understandable why. Shallow breathing limits and deprives our brain and vital organs of oxygen, our prana (lifeforce) and it limits our blood flow which restricts our vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, gut from receiving the nourishment and rejuvenation that healthy blood flow delivers. Shallow breath can result in a host of health issues as well as the body’s inability to properly digest certain experiences and literally let go. When our cells, tissues and channels of energy also known as meridians) are unable to renew and revitalise themselves, eventually physical or mental illness will manifest as a final plea from the body to get our attention. Most of us barely come in touch with the depth that we are capable of feeling, and the intelligence that our body mind system holds, because of the lack of awareness that is given to our breath, and the lack of knowledge of how to breathe correctly (engaging our belly and our diaphragm). This is no fault of our own, for most of us did not grow up surrounded by caregivers or mentors who had their own awareness of how to engage the body so that we unlocked the full capacity of our breath and learn the power of regulating our nervous systems and self-soothing during times of stress and overwhelm. In fact, I’d go as far to say that having limited access to our breath (and lacking the awareness of how to put it to use) has resulted in so much of the dysfunction and stress that we as children were subjected to in being raised by adults that did not have the knowledge of how to return themselves to a state of equilibrium, and thus, remained in a state of hyper-vigilance and dysregulation increasing our exposure to unstable environments and traumatic incidents.

Many of us suffered ongoing stress starting from our early years and continuing on into our adulthood, not equipped with the techniques that would allow us to calm our nervous systems and return to a state of homeostasis. The power of breath is so vastly undermined and it is only up until recently that techniques such as the wim-hof breath started to trickle into mainstream culture, demonstrating the incredible power of our breath and how it can help individuals overcome everything from severe anxiety disorders, clinical depression and chronic pain. And the best part? It doesn’t cost a thing. With deep breathing, we engage the abdominal muscles and diaphragm rather than the muscles in the upper chest and neck, allowing more oxygen to reach different parts of the body, as well as reducing the strain we put on the neck and the upper chest allowing these muscles to relax. Full belly breathing allows higher volumes of oxygen to reach the body’s cells and tissues. Learning to breathe consciously and with awareness can restore balance to the mind and body, release years of repressed trauma, stimulate the vagus nerve which activates the parasympathetic nervous system allowing the body to relax and restore its memory of wholeness, helping re-write the nervous system and literally reinstalling new patterns into the body mind system so that it becomes a new normal to be in a state of harmony and deep calm oppose to in a heightened state of anxiety and overstimulation. All ancient wisdom traditions such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine and Taoism understood that learning how to utilise the breath was arguably the most important healing practises available to the human species, and we could go as far as to argue that correct breathing can facilitate deeper healing than correct nutrition, movement or meditation, for although all of these practises are fundamental building blocks for establishing the foundations of health, if our breathing is shallow, then our digestion is compromised and we can not fully absorb or extract the nutrients of our food, and if our breathing is shallow, then we can not reap the benefits of our meditation or indeed, any form of movement we partake in. Even our sleep is compromised when our breathing patterns are dysregulated and we are relying on the upper regions of the body to infuse ourselves with vital prana (life-force).

As the vedic sages in India discovered thousands of years ago, the mind and body are inextricably linked. Our breathing is affected by our thoughts, and our thoughts and physiology are influenced by our breath. Just notice how your body tightens, shuts down and fires up preparing to run from a threat when your mind is caught up in a fearful dialogue. Our sympathetic nervous system is immediately triggered into fight-flight response, our breathing begins to speed up and become shallow, and our body creates a surge of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which dramatically increases blood pressure and heart rate. But when the mind is calm, in turn our breathing becomes deep and rhythmic, and our body engages its natural self-repair and self healing mechanisms. This is when our parasympathetic nervous system is dominant and thus, healing can occur. When our minds are in a state of chaos, most of us try to target our thoughts and regain some sense of order by attempting to control our thoughts, but this rarely if ever works since the mind spirals into a worst case scenario and pure panic in response to our breath becoming shallow and our sympathetic nervous system activated. It is through the control of our breath that we can influence our thoughts for the better. By consciously taking slower, deeper breaths, we can activate the parasympathetic nervous system which reverses the stress response, allowing the body to enter into a state of rest and restore its memory of wholeness.

The importance of breathing for vagus nerve health: Slow and expansive breathing helps to stimulate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system and the longest cranial nerve, communicating messages along a pathway that originates in the midbrain, extends through the brainstem, facial muscles, and throat and reaches down to the heart, lungs, stomach and intestines. It is no surprise then that when we suffer stress, anxiety or any other disturbance, the digestive system is one of the first things to become affected, since the vagus nerve influences the state of its health. Compromised digestion leads to all kinds of short term to long term disorders such as irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) diarrhoea, irregular elimination and malabsorption, which in itself contributes to a host of other health issues such as reduced serotonin levels in the brain, hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, anaemia, fatigue, depression, anxiety…. You get the idea….

How the practise of pranayama can restore mind-body calm and facilitate healing:

• Muscle relaxation.
• Better digestion.
• Decreased feelings of stress and overwhelm.
• Lowered blood pressure.
• Reduced anxiety and depression.
• A feeling of elation and expansiveness within the body and mind.
• Better sleep.
• Boosted vitality levels.
• Increased sense of wellbeing.

Here are a few breathing practices that can provide these benefits:

There are eight types of Pranayama, but today we will be looking at the four breathwork practises that help with either calming the nervous system, or invigorating the body and mind.

Complete belly breathing:

This is a simple breath which helps to calm the nervous system and ground you back into your body. Place one hand on your belly and relax your abdominal muscles and slowly inhale through the nose, bringing air into the bottom of your lungs. This might feel strange to begin with if you’re used to breathing from the upper half of the body. You should feel your abdomen rise, and this will lead to an expansion of the lower part of the lungs. Continue to inhale with your hands on your belly to help guide the breath, and at the peak of your exhalation, pause for a moment, then exhale gently from the top of your lungs to the bottom. At the end of the exhalation, contract your abdominal muscles slightly to push residual air out of the bottom of your lungs.

Alternate nostril breathing:

This is an excellent practice for when you are feeling anxious or ungrounded. Alternate nostril breathing is also known as Nadi Shodhana in the yogic tradition. It will immediately promote a sense of calm and clarity, purifies the Nadi channels (which include capillaries, veins, arteries, and nerves that send electrical impulses), and helps to balance the two hemispheres of the brain, as well as the dual aspects of our personality. It also helps to purify the entire network of communication between the physical body, the energy body, and the mental body.

• • Hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril.
• • At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your fourth finger, lift your right thumb at the peak of inhalation, lift your fourth finger and exhale smoothly through your right nostril.
• • After a full exhalation, inhale through the right nostril, closing it off with your right thumb at the peak of inhalation, lift your fourth finger and exhale smoothly through your left nostril.
• • Do this practice for 3-5 minutes alternating your breathing through each nostril. Your breathing should be effortless, with your mind gently observing the inflow and outflow of breath.

Ocean’s breath (Ujjayi):

This is a great practice for whenever you feel angry, irritable or frustrated. Ocean breath also known as Uijai breathing helps to calm the mind whenever you feel irritable. Take an inhalation that is slightly deeper than normal. With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose while constricting your throat muscles. If you are doing this correctly, you should sound like the waves of the ocean. Once you have mastered this on the outflow, use the same method for the inflow breath gently constricting your throat as you inhale.

Another way to get the hang of this practise is to try exhaling the sound “haaaaahh” with your mouth open. Now make a similar sound with your mouth closed, feeling the outflow of air through your nasal passages.

Energising breath (Bhastrika):

When you are feeling down, sluggish or have a generally negative outlook, this is a breath that can help invigorate and energise. It will give you an immense surge of energy and invigorate your mind and body increasing blood circulation in the body, and activating the meridians (body channels).

Begin by relaxing your shoulders and take a few deep, full breaths from your abdomen.

Now start exhaling forcefully through your nose, followed by forceful, deep inhalations at the rate of one per second cycle. Your breathing should be entirely from your diaphragm, whilst you keep your head, neck, shoulders, and chest relatively still while your belly moves in and out.

Start by doing a round of ten breaths, then breathe naturally and bring awareness to the sensations in your body. After 15 to 30 seconds, complete a third round of 30 breaths. If this is the first time you’re doing this, take a break between rounds.

Bhastrika is a safe practice, but stay tuned into your body during the process. If you feel light-headed or very uncomfortable, stop for a few moments before resuming in a less intense manner. Do not practise Bhastrika if you are menstruating, pregnant, suffering hypertension, epilepsy/seizures, panic disorders, hernia, gastric ulcers, glaucoma or vertigo. Also, use with caution if you have an underlying lung disease.

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