PROPER BREATHING
A human may survive without food for some three weeks. He may survive without water for a few days. However, if deprived of air he will not survive for more than four minutes. Irreversible brain damage will follow. For all forms of organic life, from the lowest to the highest, respiration is indispensible. Breath is life! Without breath there is no life!
Breathing is the most important biological function of the body. All functions of the human organism are closely linked with breathing. Nature has gifted man with an exceptional respiratory system that can bestow upon him the maximum benefits from life: good health, if not perfect health, happiness, and longevity.
Our health, our mental condition, even our lifespan depend on the way we breathe. Man’s life is not measured by the number of years, months or days but by the number of his breaths. The more the breaths per minute the lesser the longevity. Hasty rapid breathing shortens our life. Slow deep breathing ensures longevity. The lesser the number of breaths per minute, the longer, the deeper the breath, the longer will be the life span.
An average person takes 15-18 breaths per minute, each of 3-4 seconds. Most animals take some forty breaths per minute. They have shorter life spans of 12-15 or at most 20 years. Tortoises are slow breathers, taking 4-5 breaths a minute. They are known to be centenarians and can even reach 120-150 years.
Modern man has forgotten how to breathe well. No one cares. We are in the habit of taking things for granted. In these four decades of practice, I have never met anyone who knew how to breathe properly. Mouth breathing and very very shallow breathing seems to be the norm. Suffice to mention that hardly anybody knows how to breathe correctly.
The tragedy is that we mistakenly believe that breathing is not something we have to learn. It is a natural function! We take it for granted we are breathing correctly. Very few are aware of the importance of correct breathing. Hardly anyone among us ever pays any attention to our breathing. In truth it never occurs to anyone, there is a proper way of breathing or breathing is synonymous to life or if breathing stops, life will stop.
Breathing is very essential for the existence of life. It is not an unconscious intake and expulsion of air. Breathing has a twofold objective. During the process of breathing the body gets rid of the stale air in the lungs and replaces it with fresh air. Through inhalation it provides the blood circulation with a regular supply of oxygen. Through exhalation it eliminates carbon dioxide and other waste.
Deep breathing helps maintain an optimal oxygen level, increases blood flow and activates nerve centers. There are certain conditions for proper breathing. Firstly, one should do slow and deep breathing. Secondly, it is a good practice to take more time to breathe out than to breathe in. To expel the maximum stale air, inhalation and exhalation should be to the ratio of 1:2. In deep breathing one breath may last some 15 seconds; inhalation, 5 seconds, exhalation, 10 seconds. Exhalation should be double the inhalation. In this way a maximum of impurities is eliminated.
Doubtless, air is vital for humans. However, breathing is not just inhalation and exhalation. It is one of the most important activities of our body. Proper breathing is of utmost importance since it is the easiest way to absorb ‘Prana’, life force. Prana is the vital force in all forms of life. Without prana there is no life. The air is loaded with prana and we can partake of it through breathing. In shallow breathing only a minimum amount of prana can be absorbed. In deep breathing we can considerably increase our intake of prana, building up a reserve of prana in our body. We will then be able to draw upon this reserve of prana when under pressure or urgent need.
Ancient seers understood the importance of proper regulated breathing to maintain or restore health. Proper breathing should be deep, slow and rhythmical. Yoga teaches us how to use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to regulate the breath. Deep, slow, yogic breathing lightens the work load on the heart. It also increases vitality and mental capacity.
Oxygen is the most vital nutrient for the body. The brain requires comparatively more oxygen than any other organ. Higher oxygen supply will improve the function of the brain and nervous system. Poor supply of oxygen will cause mental sluggishness, stress and depression. We deny ourselves the chance of perfect health through lack of proper breathing. Our body depends on a plentiful supply of oxygen to rejuvenate itself. Because of poor oxygen supply through wrong breathing, our body degenerates faster. We suffer from premature ageing.
Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. Thus, over 90% of people use just 10% of their lung capacity for breathing and suffer from chronic lack of oxygen. As a result, they feel fatigued, nervous, short tempered and have poor performance. They may suffer from insomnia or sleep disorders. This will obviously give them a bad start the following morning. A vicious circle! In such cases, the immune system is compromised with loss of resistance. Colds, flu and other infections will be more frequent.
There are four modes of breathing. High, clavicular or collar bone breathing, mid breathing or thoracic breathing, low breathing or abdominal breathing and deep yogic breathing which integrates all three.
Shallow breathing includes the high or ‘clavicular’ breathing and the mid or ‘thoracic’ breathing. ‘Clavicular breathing’ is the most shallow and worst possible type. The shoulders and collarbone are raised during inhalation. Maximum effort is made, but a minimum amount of air and prana enter the lungs. ‘Thoracic breathing’ is done with the rib muscles expanding the thorax only and is the second type of incomplete breathing. It is more common and comparatively better than the high breathing, but still not proper. A limited amount of air and prana is absorbed.
Low or ‘Deep abdominal breathing’ is comparatively better than clavicular and thoracic types. It brings more air to the lowest and largest part of the lungs. There is a larger intake of air and prana. Breathing is slow and deep, and proper use is made of the diaphragm, anatomically the main muscle of respiration. The abdomen will naturally expand with the downward movement of the diaphragm. In contrast, in shallow breathing, instead of being expanded the abdomen is contracted during inhalation.
Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing causes a reflex stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system and decrease in sympathetic nervous system activity. During the process of deep abdominal breathing the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and intestines are directly or indirectly massaged and made to function properly. With proper breathing it is possible to control or decrease weight and keep it stable. No more pot bellies!
Deep yogic breathing combines all three, beginning with a deep abdominal breath and continuing the inhalation through the thoracic and clavicular areas. The lungs are used to their full capacity. To breathe out, the tummy is first pulled in. Next, the thorax is lowered and last, the collar bones and shoulders are lowered. Both inhalation and exhalation should be carried out in single, continuous, smooth movements. Once the movement is mastered the breathing should be to the ratio of exhalation time twice that of inhalation. Exhalation: Inhalation, 2:1.
Breathing should be full and rhythmical, making use of all the parts of the lungs to increase intake of air. To correct our breathing, we should breathe consciously. In this way we are compelled to breathe more deeply and absorb a larger supply of prana from the air. By far the most important thing about proper breathing is prana. It is important that the lungs be used to their fullest to accumulate a maximum reserve of prana. Control of the prana leads to control of the mind. With regular practice of yogic breathing the mind acquires the capacity to respond to higher vibrations and become superconscious.
For quite some time scientists have known that breathing affects our mental state and our mind. Clinical studies have shown that just breathing exercises can alleviate stress induced conditions like asthma, panic attacks, phobias and irrational fears. Rhythmic slow deep breathing strengthens the respiratory system, soothes the nervous system and calms the mind. The thousand and one desires and cravings decrease. The mind becomes more concentrated, memory improves. Calming the mind and body acts as a natural cure for insomnia.
Deep breathing releases endorphins, natural painkillers found in our body. This can ease muscular tensions, relieve headaches, sleeplessness, backaches and other stress associated aches and pains. Deep breathing can also partially compensate for lack of exercise and inactivity following some illness or injury. It also helps recover faster from stress and exertion.
Shallow breaths may allow man to survive but he does not realise the great damage it is causing to his health and natural growth. From time immemorial the ancient yogis of India have warned against the ills of shallow breathing. They taught humanity the wisdom of the science of breathing. Poor breathing causes early death, while its control will extend life.
Modern science has recognized the dangers of shallow breathing. Shallow breathing is responsible for many ailments, like heartburn, chest pain, palpitation, stomach disorders, muscle cramps, dizziness, anxiety, sleepiness, visual problems and fatigue, among others. There have even been cases where people apparently having symptoms of heart disease were in fact suffering from consequences of their poor breathing habits.
Today a high percentage of people suffer from various breathing problems. Either they do chest breathing or shallow clavicular breathing. What is worse, some 50% of people are mouth breathers. Mouth breathing is responsible for aggravating many chronic diseases. In children mouth breathing may give rise to frequent infection, asthma, dental caries etc. In adults, mouth breathing affects general health and may give rise to morning fatigue, headache, snoring, sleep apnea and dry mouth syndrome, among others. The mouth is meant for eating and drinking, certainly not for breathing. It would be an absurdity if someone tries to eat through the nose. It is as absurd for anyone to breathe through the mouth in normal circumstances.
Nature has provided the nasal passages with exquisite mechanisms so that neither cold air nor dust particles can penetrate our system and endanger health. One should always breathe through the nostrils as this will filter and remove impurities from the air before it reaches the lungs. The nasal mucous membranes and the tiny hairs in the lining of the nasal passages will trap dust particles and kill bacteria and viruses.
Cold air which may disturb our homeostasis will be warmed to body temperature. During winter, inhaling icy cold air through the mouth can lead to constriction of the coronary arteries. It may in turn trigger a heart attack in those susceptible. The olfactory system is another marvelous apparatus to detect and warn of noxious matter. Mouth breathing does not provide us with all this protection. That is why it is imperative that we breathe through the nostrils, as nature demands.
The power of proper breathing lies within us. Unfortunately, some 99% of humans do not know how to breathe properly. As a result, oxygen levels in the body cells and prana levels are drastically low. The best remedy to this appalling situation would be for those who have knowledge of proper breathing to help others at home, at school, at work or anywhere to breathe the proper healthy way.
Breathing affects the entire human organism. It reduces mental and physical fatigue. This single practice brings us both vigour and relaxation. Even those with no health problems confirm that proper breathing makes them look better, feel more relaxed, have greater output and more zest for life.
Correct breathing is perhaps the easiest and most important technique for safeguarding health. Knowledge of proper breathing techniques would enhance health and quality of life through increased vitality and rejuvenation.