Begin to Breathe

Students and adults, alike, often must spend time sitting at a desk or confined to a chair (eg. travel).   This can cause noticeable strain on many parts of our bodies, including the spine, shoulders, and hips.  As always, we still have choices as to how we behave in this limiting situation so as to alleviate some discomfort or avoid it altogether.

How we breathe impacts our lives in a multitude of ways.  Breathing is how we stay alive.  We can live perhaps days without food, water, or sleep, but we will not last more than a few minutes without breathing.  Our inhales bring much needed oxygen to our cells - a foundation of our physical beings.  Exhaling releases acidic carbon dioxide among other things, which our bodies do not need.  The vast majority of people, young & older, tend to utilize only the diaphragm below the ribs to breathe.  Our whole ribcage should also be involved in drawing air into our lungs.  Often, when in pain, physically or otherwise, feeling afraid or upset, we breathe little shallow breaths.  This is a sign to our brains of impending or immediate trouble so the brain will protect its host by going into survival or protective mode.  Deep clear full breathing signals our brains that we are not in any danger, life is good and all is well. 

Yoga is one way to learn various breathing techniques which can benefit your health.  Yoga was developed eons ago in India by men for men (to alleviate the strain of extended sitting for meditation). To quote Yogi Ramacharaka from his book Science of Breath, which was as published in 1904 (so please bear with the male only references):

And not only is Man dependent upon Breath for life, but he is largely dependent upon correct habits of breathing for continued vitality and freedom from disease.  An intelligent control of our breathing power will lengthen our days upon earth by giving us increased vitality and powers of resistance, and, on the other hand, unintelligent and careless breathing will tend to shorten our days, by decreasing our vitality and laying us open to disease (p. 8-9).

Well that is quite an opinion or observation, isn’t it?  Let’s delve deeper.  He goes on to say, “The percentage of civilized men who breathe correctly is quite small, and the result is shown in contracted chests and stooping shoulders, and the terrible increase in diseases of the respiratory organs…" (p. 8-9). Sunken chests and stooping shoulders, not only a result of looking down so often, at cell phones, written work, books, etc, etc but simply by not breathing fully, interesting and well worth considering! 

Posture is the first message your body portrays, always (consciously & unconsciously) but did you know that message is transmitted to our own brains as well as to the people who see us!  When we are emotionally or psychologically deflated we often naturally slump down and in (perhaps a protective stance).  Even when feeling this way though, if we choose to still stand tall in our spines with shoulders relaxing down our back and breathe deeply, our brain sees this tall, strong stance as an indication that we are indeed strong and well.  Check it out, perhaps before an exam, an interview or a difficult conversation; give yourself a few moments to breathe deeply using your ribcage, not only your [belly] diaphragm, and bring your body up to stand tall as described above.

I will take this moment to remind you that we all share the very same air, all day every day.  This is one way in which we are all intertwined as human beings.  

Namastè, may peace always be with you and when it’s not, you have someone to whom you can turn, and some self help techniques and practices like yoga, to see you through.

Jaclyn