Abdominal breathing is the natural manner in which a person breathes when they are relaxed and the mind is unencumbered by the stresses of life. When the stressors are allowed to overwhelm the person, the abdomen and the diaphragm become tight. It's unfortunate when this is allowed to continue. In breathing in such a shallow way, one can easily become overwhelmed by circumstances beyond their control, responding in a more reactive, rather than in a intuitive way. This type of breathing disturbs the flow of air and "prana" (conscious breathing), and affects the body and the mind respectively. When one breathes only in this way, it is considered emotional breathing, as less air is exchanged in each breath. This reduced circulation of oxygen contributes to the emotions of anger, rage and the feelings of depression, anxiety and panic. More often than not, this can become the way of breathing for one's entire life.
Most of my clients, from the ones seeking psychological help with their depression or anxiety based symptoms, or my students of Yoga who want to learn to go into a perfect headstand, both lack the same thing in life; balance. All can benefit first by learning how to breathe from their abdomens. The more one breathes deeply, more oxygen is taken in, thereby flooding the body on a cellular level, leaving the person more relaxed and present then the moment before.
If in yoga you don't learn how to breathe properly, then, you will leave your class with more anxiety then when you walked in.
In therapy, one can see the emotional breath as a client rushes to "report" what's happening to them. They tell of working with employers or husbands who rage at them or partners who ignore them. I encourage them to slow down and assure them that I will not cut them off before they are finished.
Both, the client and the student are stuck in a cycle of never really exploring the way they breathe. One wants to be graceful and flexible, the other wants to be understood. Both are motivated by fear, and fear is supported by shallow breathing.
Something as simple as learning how to breath properly can cost you nothing, to hundreds of dollars in this town. Their are many teachers. The problem, that I've found, in teaching and practicing yoga, as well as my twenty some years of providing psychotherapy, is that "simple", is, just that. Very few have the discipline to stop what they have taken for granted, and relearn how to breathe deeply. Many will require medication rather than learn how to change the way they breathe. I tell both my clients as well as my students of yoga to take a break, the way many of us did in the past, for a cigarette. Just taking a few minutes to breathe consciously is all that it takes to pick up a good habit, and achieve that healthy balance that we all need.
Lesson One
Lie on your back. Arms relaxed by your sides. Now place a light book on your stomach. Do the following breath through your nose. Your aim, on the inhale, is to fill your stomach first, then, finish the inhale at the top of your lungs. Now, hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale very slowly, until your stomach muscles are just this side of cramping. If the book resting on your stomach is rising up and down as you breathe, then, you are doing abdominal breathing. With practice, you'll be able to do this standing up, running, talking and meditating. It will bring you a sense of calmness and clarity. Repeat as often as you like.
John J. Shinavier, MA, RYT, Life Coach
