Part I: Body. Chapter 1: Breath.
The body is the beginning of every human story. It is the vehicle we have to sense, experience and engage with the world. It holds deep wisdom and powerful magic, performing millions of microprocesses daily, often with little reward, to keep us alive. Yet, like all good service, the body’s work also offers leadership – simple yet sophisticated lessons in living and dying. The collaboration between its parts has much to teach us, through patience, practice, and time.
1. Breath
Life as an individuated being begins with breath. Before our first inhalation, oxygen reaches us through the umbilical cord connecting us to our mother’s circulatory system. After birth, our first cry—the second thing we do on our own after that sharp intake of breath—marks our entry into independent existence, our tiny newborn lungs filling for the first time. Breath is thus the root of our existence on Earth.
Yet, in modern society, we often overlook the breath, dismissing it as an automatic process requiring no attention. Instead, it deserves a position of honour. While it does function without conscious effort, its quality diminishes when neglected. Although the breath of infants and children is generally deep and full, as we get older, busier, more harried and rushed, our breath patterns change. We inhale more frequently and more shallowly, often using less than half of our lung capacity. This lack of oxygen has damaging effects on our cells and our bodies more generally, and signals distress to the brain, and triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol. For a range of reasons, many of us live in a state of chronic low-level inflammation— a source of disease and debilitation; breathing well is an accessible means of repair.
The first thing to remember with breath is simply that: remember it. At any waking moment (except, perhaps, while underwater) it is discreet, beneficial and appropriate to pause and take a slow, intentional breath, filling the entire capacity of your lungs, allowing the belly to expand. Breathing through the nose is important, as it filters and warms the air, which is especially beneficial in cold environments. Regularly practicing this simple act calms the nervous system and centres the mind. The goal is to establish deep, intentional breathing as your default habit – to ground, centre, and prepare you for any task at hand.
Yogic pranayama offers several techniques with various benefits to help cultivate and improve awareness and manner of breath. One basic technique is ujjayi, a foundational breath technique used in the practice of asana yoga that has calming, steadying, and cleansing effects. For ujjayi breath, breathe slowly through your nose with your mouth closed and tongue resting gently where your top teeth meet the roof of your mouth. Close the throat passage slightly so your inhaling resembles sipping air through a straw. You should feel a slight drag of the incoming air across the back of your throat.
Another useful technique is alternate nostril breathing, called nadi shodhana in Sanskrit. This is a balancing breath that evens out the sensation and activity on both sides of the body, including the brain. Use your thumb and ring fingers of one hand to breathe in through one nostril, out through the other, then back in again through the second and out through the first, gently closing the nostril not in use. If these methods interest you, exploring pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga, may deepen your practice.
Deep, intentional breathing also enhances bodywork practices such as yoga asana, massage, reiki, and acupuncture. For instance, in yoga asana, breath is used to direct consciousness to specific body areas. ‘Sending’ your breath to tight or sore places helps you stretch farther without strain. Hatha yoga teaches to hold a position on the inhale, and move on the exhale, without straining or pushing, allowing the breath to do the work. You will be pleasantly surprised when you are able to move farther than you thought possible, a lesson which can be incorporated into other aspects of your life. Similarly, during massage, breathing deeply encourages knotted muscles to relax more effectively, particularly on the exhale. Knotted fibers of the muscles have a tendency to stay stuck – recalling Newton’s first law, that things tend to continue as they are, unless they are acted upon by another force. The internal force of the breath complements the external work of the massage, amplifying its benefits.
The next time you feel stressed, triggered, or overwhelmed, pause. Close your eyes and inhale deeply to a count of three, gradually extending to six or more. Let your breath fill your lungs, all the way to your belly. Exhale to the same count. Repeat this cycle three times, or more as needed. Turn your attention inwards. Notice your heartbeat slowing, your nerves cooling, and your muscles relaxing. Shift your focus inward to your breath, a tool for your temper, and constant ally at your service. With practice, your breath can become a source of rooting, recovery, and transformation.