Breathing 101
Breathing. We take our first breath seconds after we’re born but we really don’t spend much time thinking about it. Until its a problem. And then it’s ALL we can think about because it is so vital to life. The Sanskrit (an ancient language used in yoga today) word often used in association with breath is “prana” which translates to “life force” or “life energy.” That’s a pretty powerful way of thinking about breathing. If we don’t breathe, we don’t live, so thinking of breath as the energy of life feels pretty accurate.
So, we pretty much take breathing for granted, which is fair. We have so many things to worry about in life that if we had to worry about our breathing, we’d really never get anything else done because breathing needs to happen approximately 12-20 times per minute. Breathing is one of those activities that happens in the background, just like our heart beating and digestion.
But, did you know that breathing can influence your mental health? Yes, it absolutely can. Many counselors and doctors tout the power of deep breathing in their sessions. I am one of those that used to just say “take a deep breath and it will make you feel better.” I taught square breathing and belly breathing without really understanding the “why” behind what I taught.
That all changed in 2017 when I started yoga teacher training. My yoga teachers helped me to understand that using the breath in certain patterns can influence our mental health based on how you use it. I am certainly not the most highly educated breath expert, but I’ve picked up a lot of the science of breathing over the past 4 years and this is one of the first things I teach all my clients. The science of breathing is really complex but I try to explain it as simply as I can because I fully understand I am usually the only neuroscience nerd in the room.
To begin understanding why breathing can influence our mood, you need some very simple understanding of the nervous system. In our autonomic nervous system, we have 2 parts, the sympathetic nervous system (the speed up system) and the parasympathetic nervous system (the slow down system). Our nervous system balances these 2 systems all the livelong day like an intricate dance and we never really notice what’s going on. But, when our body needs more energy, it kicks the sympathetic system into gear, which speeds things up, like breathing and heart rate so the body gets more oxygen through the system. Once the energy isn’t needed anymore, the parasympathetic system acts like a brake and slows down those activities.
At rest, our exhale breath and inhale rate are more closely matched to keep the systems balanced. But, when the energy needs spike, the lungs start inhaling more quickly and more shallowly than at rest, meaning the upper part of our lungs are mostly being used so the body can get the oxygen quickly. When you get anxious, you might notice that your breathing is getting faster and you’re only using the upper part of your lungs. When you’re anxious, the limbic system (our emotional system) thinks you are either getting ready to run or fight, so it speeds everything up to prepare for battle, even if there is no real battle to be had. The limbic system doesn’t interpret stressors as real or not, it just tells the sympathetic system to GO and go now. The stress response kicks in and activates the sympathetic system and our body begins to feel more energy, whether its needed or not.
On the other hand, when the stressor is over, the parasympathetic puts the brake on the sympathetic system by using the exhale breath. Exhale-focused breathing starts to slow the body down and return to resting rate.
I encourage you to pause here and just notice your breath if that feels safe. Just observe and be aware. We’re not really trying to change any pattern right now, just noticing. Once you’ve noticed your breath, notice how you’re feeling. Sluggish, restless, calm, etc. Then see if your breath pattern matches the mood. Again, just observe.
So, how can you use breathing to influence your mood? By focusing on one part of the breath being longer than the other part. For example, if you’re feeling anxious, that means there is a lot of energy moving through your system that you want to slow down. The focus needs to be on the exhale breath so you begin to make the exhale part of your breath a little longer than the inhale part. This doesn’t mean the exhale has to be 10 seconds longer. Since everyone has different lung capacities, the amount of breath that can be in the lungs at one time is going to vary and so will the amount of time it takes to fill and empty. A typical breathing pattern I will start clients with when learning to slow anxiety is inhaling for 4 counts and exhaling for 5 counts. Then, every few breaths I increase their exhale by 1 count. I don’t really go much higher than an 8 count exhale when I first start teaching breathing focus. I don’t want my clients gasping for breath and if they exhale too much, that will happen and undo the calming effect we applied.
On the opposite side, if a client is feeling sluggish or low energy, I have them focus on the inhale breath. I usually begin with a 5 count inhale and 4 count exhale and then go to a 6 count inhale after a few breaths. Again, I don’t go higher than an 8 count inhale while first learning this skill.
If you’d like to experiment with your breath right now, begin by observing your current mood and then pick which focus you’d like to have. You can close your eyes or softly focus your eyes off the screen if that feels better. Then, begin with your inhale to the count of your choice followed by your exhale at the count of your choice. I encourage you to try 6-7 cycles of breath to fully experiment, but if you start to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please stop the exercise immediately and focus on something in the room that makes you feel safe. After you’ve finished the experiment, again notice how you feel and observe any differences from before you started.
Some clients may have had past experiences that can make breathing exercises more difficult and so if was uncomfortable for you, please don’t get frustrated. No technique is a one size fits all. There are many other skills that can influence your mood so what works for me might be different for you and vice versa.
Another key point I stress to my clients when they first learn about breath is to not hold their breath, especially after an inhale. Many clients tell me they notice that they hold their breath when they’re anxious. When you hold the breath in after an inhale, this is like keeping your foot on the gas pedal, which is not ideal in anxiety. In certain situations, holding the breath might be beneficial and is incorporated into many pranayama (yoga breathing) techniques. But, for this blog’s purpose, we are going to leave out the pausing of breath and revisit it later.
Paying all this attention to the breath is a new practice for many of my clients and they have to focus really hard. When clients are focusing so intently on their breathing, they can’t really focus on what they’re thinking. And many client’s thoughts are causing drama for them, so getting their mind off of their thoughts and into their body can provide some relief from the constant thinking. This is a great bonus to breath work. Not the sole purpose, but just a side benefit.
Some clients (as well as myself) really dislike counting breaths. Numbers stress me out so once I learned the basics of breathing, I stopped counting and now go by the feeling in my lungs. However, many clients like having something keep them consistent in their breath practice, so I guide them towards the many apps geared towards breathing. Many of these apps will ask if you are anxious or tired and it will guide you through a specific breathing pattern to follow. If that sounds like your speed, search your device’s app store for breathing apps and play around with a few until you find one you like.
I hope you’ve found this breathing 101 lesson helpful. I teach this lesson and many more techniques in therapy and yoga, so if you are interested in learning more, reach out to schedule a consultation for services. Let me know if you have any specific breathing techniques or challenges in the comments section below.
Until next time,
Amber
