Takeaways for learning resilient breathing skills

In its basic nature, breath is a physical phenomenon. We take in air and push out air with each breath. Our respiratory diaphragm contracts and relaxes, along with other muscles, to make this happen.

This act of moving air into and out of the lungs is technically called “ventilation” in medicine. It is only the surface of the breathing phenomenon.

I tell students in the Svastha Yoga Therapy Program this: The functional anatomy of breathing is relatively straightforward and easy to understand. But the physiology of breathing is very complex. That is because the effects and feedback loops that breathing depends on are intertwined with all our body systems and our psychology as well. Most of that is subconscious, happening in the background.

Experientially, you can easily appreciate that breathing affects the involuntary functions of your body. Your heart rate, stress response, muscle tension and more, are all influenced by the kind of breathing pattern you choose to do. You can also feel that breath directly affects your mind. Changing your breath changes your mind: you can feel more calm or more energized by changing your breathing. Breathing is intrinsically holistic and multidimensional.

Here is a short list of takeaways for building resilient and effective breathing skills over time:

• Breathing is a bridge between the voluntary and involuntary functions of your body—do not force the breath; it can have varied effects.
• Learning breathing involves not just doing breathing exercises but also feeling your breath sensations.
• A gradual approach is necessary to build resilient breathing because there are many skills involved.
• Do not skip some breathing skills—learn all of them as they are interrelated.
• Like all long-term yoga and holistic health practices, learning good breathing skills takes not only practice and patience, but also structure and guidance.
• When working with breathing, because of its multidimensional nature, first focus on the breathing domain itself and develop proficiency in the skills, rather than being diverted by its other effects (on emotions, on movement, or on energy). You can then use the techniques of breathing more effectively to influence other domains of wellbeing.