The Importance of Breathing
Written by: Chrissy Kelly
A long, full, deep breath; If I could wrap it up and sell it to you in a supplement I would.
Breath is essential to life as it is literally impossible to live without it. It is our birthright, one of the very first experiences we have coming out of the womb. So how is it that we lose this innate capacity to connect to our deeper Self through breath? Somewhere between childhood into adulthood our breath becomes shallow and short, thus losing many of the wonderful benefits of this special human gift. For most of us breath is simply and literally just keeping us alive, which is great, but it can be so much more.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath in. Where do you feel it? In your chest, lungs, belly, low back, mouth, nose? For most, it will be predominantly in the upper chest and lungs. In fact the majority of us will breath this way for most of the day as we move from one demanding task to the next. Through the stresses of our everyday lives coupled with the shallow chest breath, we trigger our sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for our fight or flight response. This in turn makes us more stressed out and puts our systems into battle mode. No wonder we are so exhausted by the end of our day!!
So let’s come back to the breath. Take a long deep breath in through your nose, fill up your lungs completely and when they feel full, sip in just a little bit more through the nose. Now pause and hold this breath in for just a couple seconds allowing the prana (breath) to circulate through your system. Then slowly and completely exhale your breath through your nose. Do it again, slowly, and perhaps one more time. Feel your shoulders begin to drop from your ears, feel the tension start to melt from your body, feel your heart start to open, all from just a few of these deep breaths!!
What is happening?! There are several wonderful things going on here. Your parasympathetic nervous system is kicking in which is responsible for the rest and digest response. Your blood is being cleansed and your body is being given freshly oxygenated blood throughout the system. Your internal organs are getting a nice massage. Your heart rate and blood pressure begin to decrease. You begin to feel completely relaxed, yet alert and focused. A sense of ease and clarity comes over you. Your system is now in harmony and you are ready to take on your day.
It really is that simple but it is something that takes practice and consistency.
We must take the time to connect back to that long deep breath that was natural for us at birth. Next time you are with a baby, check this out. As they breathe in you will see the belly completely press outward. This needs to happen in order to create room as the diaphragm drops down and the lungs expand on the inhale. Then on the exhale the belly draws in as the muscles press the breath out and the lungs and diaphragm return to their original position.
Keep this in mind as you practice your long deep breaths. Start with just a few breaths a day and work yourself up to several short sessions throughout your day. Breath has the ability to change your life and provide you with so many health benefits. Start today.