What is "yogic breath"
Yogic breathing, or pranayama, is the practice of breath control. It is an exercise by itself, but in classes taught today in the Western world, it’s used as a tool within the asana (physical poses) practice of yoga. Pranayama is powerful and transformative, and can alter your practice in ways an asana practice alone may not be able to.
Breath is life force, moment by moment, and is obviously essential. Breathing is influenced by our state of mind, thoughts, reactions, actions, health state, and much more. But, those things can also be influenced by breath once pranayama is harnessed. Yogic breath has been studied in individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, heart failure, longevity, stress reduction (1), and much more. Let’s explore below.
Why is it important to tune into breath in yoga?
Breathing consciously in a yoga practice can have profound effects. It helps to keep us centred during our physical practice, really tuning into self, to keep us safe from injury in some cases. Intentional breath can help us to explore not only ourselves, and our reactions to world around us, but explore our physical yoga practice as well, improving circulation, maybe even having a soothing effect on the nervous system. One of the many reasons why practicing yoga can leave us feeling rejuvenated and refreshed in the practice of breath.
Can certain yogic breath help me when I'm not practicing yoga?
This is where the interesting stuff is (at least IMO).
GERD: In an analysis of 7 studies, investigators found that breathing exercises improved the pressure generated by the lower esophageal sphincter, and relieved some symptoms of GERD (2).
COPD: A meta-analysis of 13 studies conducted over 10 years found that people living with COPD who completed breathing exercises and pranayama techniques had improved pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, dyspnea, and health related quality of life (3, 4).
Hypertension: Nadi shodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) showed a reduction in systolic blood pressure after 15 minutes of the breathing technique (5, 6).
Anxiety & Stress: Yoga and breathing techniques have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress (7, 8), and it is proposed this reduction happens as part of bringing the body into a state of calm which ameliorates stress response and increases the parasympathetic drive (the body’s “rest and digest” response (9)) (10).
You can see that breathing has a profound effect on the body, and can also be utilized outside of a yoga practice. If you’re feeling anxious, stressed, and in need of some re-centering, just return to breath. Slow, intentional, full of life, and truly yours.
Interested in 5 breathing techniques used to calm and re-centre? Click below to have 5 free guided breathing techniques sent straight to your inbox to use when you need to re-focus, re-align, and just be. All guided breathing meditations are under 5 minutes long.
Includes:
– Ujjayi pranayama
– Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
– Bhramari Pranayama
– Dirga Pranayama
– Kumbhaka Pranayama
References:
(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19735239/
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32233626/
(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31719191/
(4) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28714735/
(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29284770/
(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28779935/
(7) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28045199/
(8) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30086538/
(9) https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/parasympathetic-nervous-system#:~:text=The%20parasympathetic%20nervous%20system%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20body’s%20rest,heart%20rate%20and%20increases%20digestion.
(10) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15750381/
