Breathwork
This Section Includes:
Breathe in, Breathe Out: Intro to Breathing
Common Forms of Breathing
Let’s Practice It
The Power of Breathing
Breathe In, Breathe Out: Intro to Breathing
We do it all day, every day. Breathing is an automatic process that happens without any conscious effort on our part. But much like thinking, we don’t realize how important our breathing is in relation to how we feel emotionally and physically. We can go three weeks without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without breathing.
Fun fact: We take in a fresh breath of air about every 4 to 5 seconds or 22,000 times a day. That’s enough air to fill a normal-sized swimming pool!
The Process of Breathing
Inhaled air is approximately 80% oxygen and 20% nitrogen (& a small amount of other various gases).
Exhaled air is approximately 79% nitrogen, 15% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gasses like hydrogen.
Hydrogen in exhaled air comes from the metabolic activity of microorganisms the gut. Carbon dioxide comes from the breakdown of certain proteins in the body.
When we take a breath in the correct way, our diaphragm will move downward and push on our internal organs as it pulls oxygen into our lungs. This will move the kidneys 2-3 centimeters, helping to keep them healthy.
We have 100 times more carbon dioxide than oxygen. Breathing helps balance them. Breathing slowly will increase carbon dioxide levels, which attracts oxygen and allows for more efficient transportation of oxygen throughout the body. Carbon dioxide also relaxes blood vessels so they can carry more oxygen. Heavy breaths will lower carbon dioxide too fast, so slow and steady breathing with long exhales is better.
Your breath and heart work together to keep the blood oxygenated and help blood move more efficiently through the body. Healthy breathing will lower blood pressure and reduce the workload on your heart. The chest cavity works like a respiratory pump to help the heart. As the diaphragm descends during an inhale, pressure in the (upper) chest cavity is reduced, and pressure in the (lower) abdomen increases. This helps move blood up from the abdomen into the upper chest cavity. The movement of the diaphragm also changes the physical size of the heart, influencing the speed at which blood passes through the chambers of the heart which also changes heart rate.
In the process of breathing when we inhale and exhale correctly it feels like (a 360-degree expansion of the torso).
Correct breathing will remove most of the air from the lungs. Your breath and heart work together to keep the blood oxygenated and help blood move more efficiently through the body. Healthy breathing lowers blood pressure and reduces the workload on your heart.
So, when you take a strong breath, you will get a 360-degree expansion of your torso. And when you boost your breathing, you boost your body's power to detoxify itself. By breathing correctly, you can provide your body with better nutrition than you do with your diet!
Common Forms of Breathing
Hyperventilation, or when we start to over-breathe or under-breathe (hypoventilation), causes an
increase or decrease in the pH levels in our bodies. If we want to be able to maintain a
proper pH balance, it is crucial that we breathe properly.
Diaphragmatic breathing or deep breathing causes the abdomen to rise and fall. This is a
deeper level of breathing that exchanges more air and helps balance respiration. This
automatic process happens as our body monitors changes in carbon dioxide levels
released into our body, like when we exercise.
How Our Brain Monitors Breathing
Our brain is always monitoring our breath and notices even the slightest changes in our
breathing:
• When we inhale, our heart rate increases
• When we exhale, our heart rate decreases
• When we take longer breaths, it will lower our heart rate and blood pressure
In the event that we aren’t breathing properly, our brain notices and sends signals to stop releasing stress hormones into the body. When we get stressed out or excited, our breathing automatically changes to be able to maintain or balance those carbon dioxide levels.
We activate our parasympathetic nervous system when we consciously try to take deeper breaths and longer exhales. This system is what calms us down after our fight or flight response is activated. It triggers our body to slow back down our breathing and heart rate, and it cools us down.
It’s always good practice to try and do this manually.
The nerves that stimulate the chest cavity wall are triggered by taking a deep breath, signaling to the brain that everything is fine. This is what is known as the “sigh of relief,” which is usually what happens after an emergency or crisis is over. Our brain responds by lowering the flow of stress hormones that are released when we are in that fight, flight, or freeze mode.
“Dysfunctional breathing is the respiratory equivalent of eating fast food 23,000 times a day.””
Let’s Practice It
•Sit in a comfortable, upright, and alert posture; focus all your attention on the sensation of breathing.
•Select a region of the body to focus on.
•Maintain attention to the sensation of breathing. Notice the sensation of the air entering through the nostrils or the movement of the abdomen in and out.
•When your mind wanders from those sensations to other topics, thoughts, or memories gently bring it back to the sensation of breathing; it stands out
Story by Richard Dismukes
A friend shared a story with me that highlights the connection between breathing and heart rate. He was exercising on a treadmill and maintaining his heart rate at 120 beats per minute. He had been walking for about 20 minutes when he received a routine text message that took his attention away from his breathing. He briefly responded to the text while walking at the same pace. When he returned his attention to the monitor, his heart rate had climbed to 160 BPM.
