Remembering to breathe deeply drops off our ‘to do’ list as our lives become increasingly busy and our diaries fill. We find our stress and anxiety levels rising. Very often the day ends leaving us drained and exhausted, or worse. We can find ourselves in ‘fight or flight’ response where the body has a chemical response and releases excess amounts of the hormone cortisol.

As a result our heart races and our breathing becomes shallow – this increases feelings of agitation, irritability and fear.

Stress increases as a result and overtime this leads to a state of anxiety as the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood rise, whilst levels of oxygen decrease.

From the moment we were born we inhaled and exhaled deeply.  As we get older most of us go through life breathing automatically without being mindful of what this breath can offer us.  Scientific research has shown that the diaphragmatic breathing or mindful breathing, known as pranayama by yogic practitioners, is extremely effective in helping to reduce the physiological and psychological imbalance in the body that feeds stress levels. Research found that a bundle of neurons located in the brainstem is also connected to parts of the brain that trigger fear and arousal. The brainstem or ‘respiratory pacemaker’ appears to monitor our breathing and then reacts appropriately. When our breathing quickens due to stress or alarm, it alerts the arousal centre of the brain which responds at the same time,  producing an increase in feelings of stress and anxiety. It was concluded that by slowing down our breathing, we can prevent alarm signals in our brain from being sounded.

The breath is like a beautiful wave that washes in and out of the body while nurturing it. Each breath carries us to the next, from one moment to another.

Use your deep breathing to calm the body and mind. Perform the breaths mentally and physically as a preparation for stressful situations, or as a tool when you find yourself becoming anxious, thereby allowing yourself to find your still centre.

A good practice is yogic Three Part Breathing each day which reminds us how we should inhale and exhale correctly. We can do this by sitting comfortably with a straight spine or lying down.

• Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.  Begin inhaling by expanding the abdomen, then moving the breath up to the rib cage and finally all the way into the upper chest (this may even feel a little ‘tight’).
• Exhale by reversing this movement – contract your abdominal muscles and let the belly relax, feeling this relaxation move into the rib cage and finally feel your shoulders melt downwards and the breath is fully released.

By practising this breath we can teach ourselves to breathe better and eliminate shallow breathing. Begin slowly by practising for 1-2 minutes and gradually increase your practice as you get comfortable and familiar with this process.  After a while you will find it a necessary part of your daily routine, and you will find positive changes in your life.

In short – we need to start everyday with a deep breath and follow it by many more.  This is the simplicity of breathing

Marianne Harold

October 2016