Did you know that most of us don’t breathe correctly? Yikes, right?! The modern world often has us stressed and anxious which leads us to breathe in our upper chest or side body. No worries because the ancient yogis have techniques that have been used for thousands of years to help regulate the nervous system. Now, many, many years later there is science to back the feeling they would get by controlling the breath.
A Full Complete Breath
So, if most of us aren’t breathing correctly, then how are we breathing incorrectly? We use the upper portion of our chest and neck to breathe. On the inhale we suck the stomach in and on the exhale we release the stomach. This breathing pattern is the exact opposite of the correct way to breathe! A full complete breath is what we call belly breathing in yoga. As we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts, flattens toward the earth and moves down, which pulls on the hearth and lungs and squishes our abdominal organs, and the belly expands. As we breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes, creates a dome back up into the chest cavity and hugs around the abdominal organs and the belly moves in toward the spine.
What is Pranayama?
Ancient yogis believed we were born with a finite number of breaths, so they tried to extend life by taking control of the breath. Prana means the basic energy of life; yama means to rein or control. Because we need our breath to live Pranayama is often translated as the mastery of the breath.
Yogis believe the mind follows the breath so by controlling the breath, we control the mind. Pranayama is a tool to tame the mind. Ultimately, this ancient practice of pranayama was developed to clear any obstructions on our journey to be our true, highest Self.
Breath in Yoga
Breath is energy. As we take in more breath, it charges us up and creates expansiveness in the body. In a yoga sequence, we raise our arms overhead on the inhale as we expand the belly and chest. Releasing the breath is discharging. The exhalation of the breath triggers relaxation, surrender, and can help dissolve tension in the body. As we exhale in a yoga sequence, we may do a forward fold or twist as the belly comes back to the spine. If we want more energy in the body, we breathe in more oxygen and if we want to relax, we allow for a longer exhalation. Retention or pause in the breath develops energy in the body. When we control and calm the breath, we calm the mind.
Purification by Pranayama
By performing pranayama, we train the lungs and the nervous system by changing the depth, rate, and quality of our breathing. Yogis who practice pranayama have a far greater lung capacity than the average person. The practice of pranayama is to cleanse our energy centers, called nadis, in the body. There are thousands of nadis in the body. When these energy centers are cleansed, the body is healthier which in turn makes us feel better and releases tension that is stored in the body. Yogis believe that pranayama improves the respiratory and circulatory systems. When are bodies are functioning at their best, toxins cannot accumulate and cause disease in the body.
Regulating the Nervous System by Breath
Our breathing is regulated by our autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary functions for us like breathing, digestion, heartrate, blood pressure, etc. There are only two ways to control this part of our nervous system. One is by regulating our breath by using pranayama techniques and the other is strengthening our willpower by having a single point of focus.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) or “fight or flight” system is activated in times of stress or danger. Chemicals are released in the body to set off physiological responses to fight or run from a situation. The heartrate speeds up, blood pressure increases, and adrenaline is released to get the body ready for physical activity. But when this happens, the blood supply is sent away from the digestive and excretory organs to the muscles in the arms and legs to run. The breath moves from diaphragmatic (belly breaths) to chest breathing to increase the intake of oxygen.
Getting Stuck in the Sympathetic Nervous System
The SNS is very important to our survival but unfortunately in our modern society, we can get stuck here. The proper use of this system is to have the activation get us out of danger, have our bodies quickly metabolize the chemicals that were released and then go back to a resting condition. We should alternate between our SNS and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) every 1-4 hours. If we get stuck in the SNS, the chemicals activated become what Kristin Leal in Anatomy of a Yogi calls a ‘slow drip’. She writes, “When we are in orange alert in our nervous system and marinating in this slow chemical drip, we will have a lower threshold activation, greater reactivity, and when we really need this system, it will be less available to give the big bang of chemical reaction.” Spending too much time in the SNS can create havoc in our bodies that can lead to insomnia, anxiety, tension and muscle pain.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) or “rest and digest” system controls functions like reproduction, digestion, growth and repair, fighting disease, and learning.
The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the main part of the PSNS. It runs from the base of the brain and travels down the spine through the neck, chest, and abdomen. The vagus nerve communicates with the diaphragm. As we discussed earlier, the diaphragm is the muscle the moves up and down as you inhale and exhale. By regulating the motion of the diaphragm and lungs, we can control the vagus nerve and the PSNS. The vagus nerve also sends signals between the gut and the brain (digestion and gut instinct) and sends an anti-inflammatory signal to other parts of the body.
Using Breath to Shift the Nervous System
Techniques to Shift to Parasympathetic:
These techniques help us to slow down, relax, lower stress and anxiety.
- Slow, deep breathing-This type of breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. Practice: Inhale for 3, exhale for 3.
- Extending the breath exhalation-Every time we exhale the heartbeat slows down. Lengthening the exhale sends us into the relaxation response. Practice: Inhale for 3. Exhale for 6. Chanting is another way that yogis extend the exhalation.
- Ujjayi breathing- “ocean breath”; this breath is said to conquer fears and steady the mind. Practice: Create a slight constriction at the back of your throat like you would if you were trying to breathe out and fog up an mirror but with the lips sealed; imagine you are sipping a thick milkshake through a straw with the constriction in the throat; use full diaphragmatic breathing which means on the inhale to have the belly, ribs, and upper chest expand and on the exhale collar bones and chest come back to the midline of the body and the belly lifts up and in.
Techniques to Shift to Sympathetic:
Sometimes we feel lethargic and/or need to activate our energy.
- Kapalabhati/Breath of Fire-This breath is a stimulant. Also when we practice it over time, it can help us learn to remain calm in a stressful environment just like we do during this technique. This breath has an active exhalation with a snapping of the naval back to the spine and a passive inhalation. The snapping of the belly in the exhalation stimulates the abdominal muscles and digestion organs which releases toxins in the body.
- Emphasis on the inhalation-A slower inhalation increases the oxygen intake and the heart rate speeds up a little. Practice: Inhale for 3, exhale 1.
Breath for Balance:
Nadi Shodhana-This means “channel purification”. The breath is slow and steady while alternating which nostril is blocked and which is open on the inhales and exhales. Alternate Nostril Breathing helps to ground our energy.
Conclusion
There are many, many pranayama techniques to help regulate our nervous system. As you can see by just the few I mentioned above, you can use your breath to relax you (activate the PSNS), to increase your energy and speed you up (activate the SNS), and to bring you back into a more balanced state.
Much Love & Health,
Carrie
Let me know any of your take-aways from today’s post and/or your favorite pranayama technique and why. In case you are curious, my favorite pranayama practice is Nadi Shodana.
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Resources
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Pranayama. Dublin, HarperCollins, 2013.
Leal, Kristin. Meta Anatomy: Anatomy of a Yogi. USA, 2014.
Rama, Swami; Ballantine MD, Rudolph; Hymes MD, Alan. Science of Breath. Honesdale, Himalayan Institute, 1996.