"Whenever you draw a pure, long full BREATH of right heaven, you take Athena into your heart, through your blood, and with the blood, into the thoughts of your brain."

- John Ruskin, The Queen of the Air 1869

Mindful Attention to Breath

Since coming back home from the BSLM conference this week, I've thought a lot about breathing. Returning to the breath and mindfully paying attention to it is a fundamental yoga practice.

At the conference, I was surrounded by speakers and colleagues who also put the benefits of controlled breathing into action. I met coaches and GPs who use breath techniques to improve their clients' and patients' performance and calmness. I also attended an interesting talk on the benefits of singing and different rhythms, which involved deliberately controlled exhalation with sound.

Last night, I attended an orthopaedic teaching event where a therapist gave a talk about stress management for doctors, recommending several slow, elongated breathing techniques.

Long, Slow, Low

There are many ways to manipulate the breath. Whether you prefer box breathing, equal ratio breath, 4-2-8 breath, the 7-11 (apparently favoured by military personnel) or any other variations, the message of mindful breathing is everywhere, and I love it.

I always find going back to basics is helpful. Slow, deep breathing is simple but effective. We can lower our blood pressure and heart rate by slowing down our breaths, especially the exhalation. Recent studies even suggest that slow, deep breathing not only changes physiology through the autonomic nervous system (a well-established mechanism of action) but might directly impact the central nervous system, too.

When overwhelmed, people often say to others or themselves, "Take a deep breath." This advice is not without merit - even a single deep breath can immediately impact our physical and mental state. Minding just that single breath or a few consecutive ones (maybe only for 1-3 minutes), we can all notice quite a significant shift.

The Diaphragm

Breathing is such an interesting phenomenon. Like our heartbeat, it happens automatically and will usually go unnoticed and unappreciated throughout any waking or sleeping day. In yoga, we train ourselves to consciously control and improve the efficiency of our breath, which involves regulating its pace, volume and intensity. To achieve this, we focus on strengthening and coordinating the respiratory diaphragm, the vital muscle in the body's centre.

The respiratory diaphragm is a remarkable structure that separates the chest and abdomen; its broadening and doming actions create pressure change that facilitates air movement into and out of the lungs. If you want to see a video showing the diaphragm's movements and position, this short animation on YouTube is rather nice: 3D x of the diaphragm.

(Tip: it may also be helpful before tomorrow morning's class 😌)

Breath-Centric

Here are some easy ways to promote slow and deep breathing. These methods are commonly used during yoga practice, all serving to gently unhinder the diaphragm's action.

1. Observe the breath. Stopping for a moment and simply watching your breath without controlling it can naturally slow it down.

2. Practise belly breathing. Some individuals may hold tension in their abdomen, knowingly or unknowingly. Relaxing the belly and visualising your breath moving down towards your pelvis can encourage your diaphragm to expand, allowing for deeper breathing.

3. Release tension. Stretching your chest, shoulders, and neck can help open up your midsection and create more space for your breath to flow. Softening and releasing tension in any body part can lead to better breathing. No wonder stretching feels so good, as it undoubtedly promotes better breathing.

4. Move your spine. The diaphragm has tiny fingers of muscles that attach directly to the spine. Therefore, by exercising your spine through forward bends, backbends, twists, and side bends, your motion is related directly to the movement of your primary respiratory muscle.

5. Do nothing. Taking time to relax and surrender to your breath can be a powerful practice in itself. It's crucial to give ourselves enough time for this type of relaxation. Savasana and restorative yoga can be great ways to achieve this.

So, to the Breath…

At each month's end, I usually aim to incorporate a slower and more restful practice, although I often end up ignoring it in favour of pushing myself to do more 😬

This past week, the breath is certainly calling. It's whispering, "I'm here. Pay me some mindful attention!" Sometimes, it's good to heed the call of inspiration (literally). So, for this week's practice, we are going breath-centric.

Let's practise.