“When the breath wanders, the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.” ~Svatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The yogis were fascinated with the breath. They knew it held the key for unlocking our true potential mentally, physically and spiritually.

They also believed that a reduction of prana (our vital life force) causes the world we see to become dull and our bodies to become weak.

There is no question that we live in a fast paced, digital world where unhealthy habits and chronic stress proliferate. Because of this, our breath, our primary mechanism for staying alive and the muscle that keeps the heart beating, becomes compromised.

It is estimated that we breathe 21,600 times a day. Nearly all those breaths are automatic and unconscious, which can create a mishmash of interruptions including shallow gasps or heaving.

Ron Hruska M.P.A., P.T. is the director of the Postural Restoration Institute, where he helps people understand the importance of posture and breath.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re an 80-year-old smoker, a 23-year-old Olympian, or an average human being,” says Hruska. “Odds are good that the way you are breathing right now is flooding your body with stress hormones, compromising your joints and mobility, bottlenecking your energy, and undermining your performance while exercising and in everyday life.”

It is not enough to become aware of how you are breathing. Your posture plays a big role too. In fact, the posture you choose to take every moment is either helping or hindering your oxygen consumption and blood flow.

For example, slumping the shoulders and chest from working on the computer creates distortions throughout the rib cage. Repeat that slump over a long period of time and you will literally reform the bones of the ribcage and spine. This imbalance shifts the line of pull on the most central muscle of the human body: the respiratory diaphragm. The same goes for anyone who consistently flares or “pops” their ribs out.

Since the diaphragm is connected to the heart via connective tissues—any distortions to the diaphragm can put pressure on the heart and aorta, impacting their function and blood flow over time.

Don’t take posture for granted. It is tied to the quality of your breath and breath is linked to mind, body and spirit. Repeatedly remind yourself to sit or stand up straight. Think mountain pose. It is something you can always work on whether you are doing the dishes, standing in line, driving or shopping. It is so easy to be lazy and slump, but there is a cost to poor posture and that is a cut off to our life line.

Stress is another thing that can affect our breath and is often ignored. You can tell when someone is stressed. You can see it in the way they are breathing. Your ego wants to pretend that everything is cool, until it realizes everything is not cool and goes into panic or avoidance mode.

When someone is stressed they are usually breathing from their chest. Chest breathing is not what hurts you, it is how your body perceives chest breathing that is the problem. It tells your body you are danger.

“In times of fight-or-flight, your brain recruits the less-efficient respiration muscles first,” says Louis Libby, M.D., a pulmonary physician, voted as one of the Best Doctors of America. This is what is called chest breathing.

The nervous system is brilliant. Why would it use the primary mechanism for breath first if you are being stalked by a tiger? It doesn’t. Instead, it triggers chest breathing. The true powerhouse, your diaphragm, gets placed on hold in case things go from bad to worse. The nervous system knows it might need back up, so it will not stress or exhaust the diaphragm during this time.

Even though we don’t live in a world with tigers stalking us, our brain perceives stressful life situations in the same way. Chest breathing suggests that life is not ok.

In response the brain produces stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Emitted in excess these hormones can wreak havoc on the body.

“That’s a good thing if you need a burst of power and speed to escape a predator,” says Libby. “But if you can’t shut it off, which is what happens with chest breathing, you strain your entire cardiovascular system.”

Bringing attention to our posture and how we are breathing is crucial for our wellbeing, so it is important to make a habit of continually checking them both.

Check your posture. Are you sitting or standing up straight? Do you have a natural curve in your lower spine or is it rounded?

Check your breathing. Is oxygen coming from your belly or your chest? Put your hand on your belly and feel it rise on the inhale and relax away on the exhale. Stay here for a few minutes and notice the change in your attitude.

Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is the age old secret of the yogis. It accesses our parasympathetic nervous system, which is the regenerative system that releases growth hormones, decreases heart rate and blood pressure and lowers the harmful effects of cortisol. These functions restore the body and bring clarity to the mind, returning both back to a state of balance.

Try to spend more time in the parasympathetic realms of rest and relaxation and watch how it affects your thoughts, words and actions. In periods of activity—check your posture repeatedly so your diaphragm has a chance to perform optimally and consciously enjoy your breath in the belly.

The quality of life you deserve lies in between the pulsation of activity and rest. Don’t forget to breath.

Breathing practices to try at home

Try these for 5-10 minutes each:

1. Start simply by having a hand or a yoga block on the abdomen and gently attempt to breathe up or down. It is important to switch into “feeling” the breath and not “thinking” the breath. For example, feel the inside walls of the belly –– the front wall, side waist and lower back areas –– expand on inhalation and relax on exhalation

2. The 1:2 technique encourages deeper breaths. Using diaphragmatic breathing, breathe in for a count of two and out for the count of three or four. Adjust the numbers so that the exercise is comfortable and not stressful. The elongation of the out breath can often create an opportunity for a deeper inhale.

A Yoga Unplugged collaboration - written by Jennifer Reuter, edited by Sarah Burchard

Photo by Robin Benzrihem on Unsplash