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We live in a society where we are encouraged to want and have it all. As a result, our body can be held in a constant “fight or flight” state of nervousness or anxiety without us even being aware of it. You may remember a time when you were full of energy – before the headaches, the insomnia, and back pain. Perhaps you take a trip to the spa, go on a run to try to “clear your head” or take that long expensive vacation to the Maldives. Explore a safe and effective yogic remedy you can practice easily each day for free to take you to a place of tranquility.
It is common knowledge that yoga is considered a mind-body type of complementary and alternative medicine that helps people relax and manage stress and anxiety. A controlled study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed a 27% increase in the level of GABA (a brain chemical that has a calming, anti-anxiety effect), after yoga sessions. We are going to explore an even more specific part of yoga – the breath, known as Pranayama.
It may seem
strange to consciously think about something that you do all the time and that
our body knows how to do for our basic survival. Yes, breathing allows us to
survive but what about breathing to thrive? Today, Western science is proving
what Eastern health traditions have known for centuries: when we breathe well,
we create the optimum conditions for health and wellbeing.
In stressful times (when our body needs the breath the most), we typically breathe too rapidly and breathe into the chest instead of into the abdomen. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day. This leads to a build-up of oxygen in the bloodstream and a corresponding decrease in the relative amount of carbon dioxide, which in turn upsets the ideal pH level of the blood. This condition, known as respiratory alkalosis, can result in muscle twitching, nausea, light-headedness and anxiety as is why people are given paper bags during a panic attack to re-stabilise the carbon dioxide in the body. Obviously the panic attack is an extreme form of this type of shallow breathing but when people are in a constantly stressed state I have seen first-hand how that shallow, rapid breathing proves to be not only the result but the perpetual cause of stress.
When we breathe, most of us usually expand only a limited portion of the front torso, around the lower ribs and upper belly. Often, our breathing is restricted and shallow; ideally, it should be deep and full, so each breath cycle expands and contracts the height, width, and depth of the whole torso. Perhaps take a moment here to try to reconnect with your breath. Try sitting and just watching the breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale…. You’ll probably notice that watching the breath immediately initiates a change in it. First, it slows down. As it slows, the ordinarily rather ragged movements smooth out. And as the breaths smooth out, the space it occupies in the body increases. Try to feel the body expanding with each inhale and softening with each exhale. If you can, close the eyes. Make sure you are not trying to control the breath but just feel like you are an outside observer watching it as it moves in and moves out of the body.
There are many specific breathing techniques that, when practiced correctly and regularly, will help increase the tone in the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases relaxation and decreases the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response. As with any treatment, the breathing remedy must be administered intelligently to be fully effective and each condition responds best to its own special breath. For example: to calm anxiety, you purposely lengthen your exhalations; to alleviate dullness and fatigue, you lengthen your inhalations.
However far you decide to go with exploring your breathing try to make the time each day, even if just for two minutes, to close your eyes and take a conscious breathing break. You may discover that conscious breathing not only soothes your stress and anxiety but also boosts your energy to a point where you might even pass on that caffeine hit this afternoon
In stressful times (when our body needs the breath the most), we typically breathe too rapidly and breathe into the chest instead of into the abdomen. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day. This leads to a build-up of oxygen in the bloodstream and a corresponding decrease in the relative amount of carbon dioxide, which in turn upsets the ideal pH level of the blood. This condition, known as respiratory alkalosis, can result in muscle twitching, nausea, light-headedness and anxiety as is why people are given paper bags during a panic attack to re-stabilise the carbon dioxide in the body. Obviously the panic attack is an extreme form of this type of shallow breathing but when people are in a constantly stressed state I have seen first-hand how that shallow, rapid breathing proves to be not only the result but the perpetual cause of stress.
When we breathe, most of us usually expand only a limited portion of the front torso, around the lower ribs and upper belly. Often, our breathing is restricted and shallow; ideally, it should be deep and full, so each breath cycle expands and contracts the height, width, and depth of the whole torso. Perhaps take a moment here to try to reconnect with your breath. Try sitting and just watching the breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale…. You’ll probably notice that watching the breath immediately initiates a change in it. First, it slows down. As it slows, the ordinarily rather ragged movements smooth out. And as the breaths smooth out, the space it occupies in the body increases. Try to feel the body expanding with each inhale and softening with each exhale. If you can, close the eyes. Make sure you are not trying to control the breath but just feel like you are an outside observer watching it as it moves in and moves out of the body.
There are many specific breathing techniques that, when practiced correctly and regularly, will help increase the tone in the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases relaxation and decreases the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response. As with any treatment, the breathing remedy must be administered intelligently to be fully effective and each condition responds best to its own special breath. For example: to calm anxiety, you purposely lengthen your exhalations; to alleviate dullness and fatigue, you lengthen your inhalations.
However far you decide to go with exploring your breathing try to make the time each day, even if just for two minutes, to close your eyes and take a conscious breathing break. You may discover that conscious breathing not only soothes your stress and anxiety but also boosts your energy to a point where you might even pass on that caffeine hit this afternoon
By: Melissa Ghattas
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