Why Practice Breathing?

WHY PRACTICE BREATHING?

Why should I practice breathing? The body breathes on its own. I have a busy life. Why should I add this to my list of things to do? … and, by the way, what is pranayama?

Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning to restrain, build and channel (yama) the life force (prana). In the 8 limbed path of yoga, pranayama is the 4^th, following the practice of asana, the poses.

I fell in love with pranayama during a yoga teaching training course. At first I didn’t understand the value of a practice focused solely on breathing, assuming that I got this while practicing asana and while watching the breath during meditation. Little did I know that deliberate, conscious breathwork would all me to undo layers of unconscious tension, helping me to relax and open in a profoundly new way.

It is difficult, actually impossible, to separate the body, mind and breath. In the Heart of Yoga, Desikachar explains that the breath is the first to register change, followed by the the body, and lastly, the mind. When we identify with the mind and the process of thinking, we are orienting and looking for answers in the wrong place. As the Zen Buddhists say, you can not work on the mind from the level of mind. You need to go more deeply, to the roots. Learning to watch and be with the breathing process is a profoundly effective tool to see the deeper aspects of your person, and of your being.

Breathing is both involuntary and voluntary: the body breathes on its own, and it is also possible to consciously alter the breath. The involuntary, autonomic, part of the nervous system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. The sympathetic branch works in sympathy with the reaction process: when there is fear, the breath will quicken, the heart rate will speed up, and blood will be sent to the muscles in preparation for fighting or flighting. Many of us live in this state.

A common antidote to this state, whether in or out of yoga class, is to “take a deep breath”. Why? Deep breathing is an effect of the parasympathetic nervous system. This pattern supports relaxation, and works counter to the reactionary patterns: the heart rate slows, the breath deepens, and vital energies are directed towards healing, digestion, and restoration. The focus moves towards evolution rather than fear.

Breathing in a deep and full and natural way invites the entire system to slow and calm. Forcing big breaths does not. Trying to make the body take a deep breath – especially in the midst of crisis – is only adding more tension into the system, adding fuel to the fire. So the key is to practice breathing, when you are in a conscious and relaxed state.

When we practice we work with effort both masculine and willful, and feminine and receptive. Practically, this means we deliberately engage the muscles that support breathing: we learn to use the abdominals to deepen the exhale, discover the movement of the diaphragm and the corresponding expansion through the abdominal activity, and stretch open the muscles of the chest. Throughout this work, we are aware of the quality of effort, being mindful of any strain or force. We work to find the effortless effort of which the Taoists speak. We question what it means to relax and soften into an area, to allow rather than force a deep breath. We open to receive the breath, to be inspired. The heart of breathwork is about being rather than doing. It is about being present to the flow of breath, experiencing increasingly subtle sensations and rediscovering the natural rhythm of a fully breathing body. This full breath feeds the cells and quiets the system, which in turn invites more deep breathing: relaxation begets relaxation. Eventually fuller breath and a slower heartrate become the “new normal” and this relaxed state is more accessible during stress or crisis.

So this is why we practice: to find ourselves outside of patterns of stress and effort. We practice to discover a sense of ease and fullness previously unseen. We practice bringing this deeper sense of self to the surface of our daily living.