Last week we talked about how the breath affects the physical body by puffing out the ribs  and  dropping the diaphram.  Breathing, among other things, is a requirements for life, resulting from the delicate balance of gasses--CO2 and O2.  Although the breath happens without us thinking about it, we can purposefully change it and that change affects our body, specifically the central nervous system.  

Integrative medical doctor, Andrew Weil, says that of all the treatment he's recommended for improving health, the single positive feedback is the breath work he prescribes, which can help improve digestion and  circulation, correct irregular heartbeat, foster relaxation, help with insomnia, panic disorder and other anxiety states. He recommends it to all his patients.

Along with all the downward dogs, trees and serpents, a major component of yoga altering the breath.  It's called Pranayama.  Literally, "prana" means both breath, spirit and universal life energy.  In other traditions, prana is referred to as Qi or Chi.  Pranayama shows up in Western yoga classes without you knowing it.  Each time the instructor tells you to remember to breath, you're actively regulating your breath.  And, you may have heard you neighbor in class sounding like Darth Vadar.  They may be doing Ujjaii breathing, where the glottis by slightly closed, allowing for an ocean-like sound.  

According to B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on Pranayama, we can live longer by slowing down our breath.  Our breathing rate is 15 times a minute or 21,600 in 24 hrs.  He suggests that we can slow down our aging by slowing down our breathing.  (If only!)   Mr. Iyengar goes on to say that respiratory functions slows in old age due to contraction of the air cells in the lungs, which take in less oxygen.  Therefore, "Pranayama will help to normalise their size and make the red corpuscles circulate in all parts of the body, infusing life and vigour throughout."(1)    

Whether we can live longer by breathing more slowly is questionable from a Western prospective, but we do know that how we breathe affects our health.  Perhaps it was Linda Blair in the Exorcist or the march of the dead in Living Dead or Carrie or Seven.  You may not recall, but you were probably holding your breath and/or taking a short, shallow breaths.  It's our body's response to stress.  It's OK if you're at the movies or braking to avoid an accident, but, many of us live in varying degrees of stress (sympathetic nervous system arousal) where the breath becomes rapid, shallow and high in the chest.  That's the body doing what it knows how to do in amped-up situations.  But, constant stress over a long period of time, contributes to the majority of health ailments.

If we can moderate the breath during stressful these times, we can effectively change the body's response, making us more relaxed, centered and calm, and for many avoiding more serious responses to stressful situations, like anxiety and panic attacks.  We can effectively bring the body back to equilibrium--not too high, now too low, just by regulating our breath.  For many it can help avoid the dependence on pharmaceuticals, like Valium, or booze and marijuana.  

It's not about breathing more deeply or slowly.  It's bringing the breathing pattern back to "normal".  Problem is, we have developed unnatural patterns due to a variety of factors.  For example, puffing up the chest during an inhale and expanding the belly during an exhalation.  This is referred to as "reverse breathing" and if that's you, you're not alone.  To access what your breathing pattern might be, just sit and watch your breath.  Where does it go?  How does it feel?  What is it's depth?  Does it have a rhythm or is there a "catch up" breath" every few breaths?  For many, it may be the first time you've thought about the simple, yet complicated, act of breathing.  

Now, without straining or holding the breath, allow a more complete exhalation, followed by a normal, everyday inhalation.  Do this a few times, allowing a bit more air to leave.  No forcing.  That's it.  Don't get fancy or creative.  This extended exhalation can elicit a sense of relaxation and calm.  Do you feel it?  Try this type of breath a few more times.  Next time you notice your breath is raggedy or you're feeling uptight, let out a bit more air.  

Part 3 is coming next week with some more ways to use your breath to improve your health!

Want to read some of my previous articles?  You can do it here.  Enjoy.

Scholars have known for some time that Buddhism is the largest religion in Hawaii after Christianity, the majority religion in all US states. Now-according to an article in last week's Washington Post, Buddhism has also attained second-place status in a dozen Western states.

It reveals that Buddhism is sometimes only popular in a handful of the Western states' small counties, with many other surrounding counties colored to indicate that Muslims, Jews, Hindus, or Baha'i are the dominant minority. Buddhists dominate only a single county in both Nevada and Oklahoma, for example, but because those counties are so populous, the whole state gets awarded to the Buddhists.

I'm still surprised by the amount of counties reporting Buddhism as the second religion according to this map. 

Tricycle's article is right here.  

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