Controlling Stress Through the Breath
Meera Patricia Kerr, author of Big Yoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies
There’s a book out by Jon Kabat-Zinn called “Wherever You Go, There You Are”. Maybe he got this quote from a T-shirt, but it’s pretty profound. Wherever you are, you are stuck with yourself, in good moods and bad. It’s a mixed blessing. If you’re in a bad mood, one of the other things that is with you, as close as your own heart, is your breath. We may not have control over the thoughts racing around in our minds, but we have the ability to take charge of the breath, at least to a certain degree. I’ll show you how in a little bit.
Science has been studying the effects of Yoga breathing on the systems of the body. It turns out the ancient Yogis, without the modern methods of analysis, were able to lower the blood pressure, lower heart rate and turn off the stress response, all by simple deep breathing. Back in the day, the stress response was called the “fight or flight mechanism”. It’s not always a bad thing. Suppose you have an accident and you need to run to get help. Your body will react by speeding up your heart rate. Your breathing will become shallower and faster, your muscles will tense and your digestion will shut down, allowing the blood to be sent to the muscles for fleeing. This is all magically controlled by the sympathetic nervous system (it sympathizes with your dilemma and sends hormones to help you out). After you run and get help, and are safe once again, your body turns off this flight response. Your breath calms down once again, and all the body’s systems return to normal. It’s like a one shot deal, and it’s over.
Today, we experience a different kind of stress – the chronic kind. Maybe it’s from a barrage of information through the various media added to the stress of having to pay for gas that’s over $3.00 a gallon. Or maybe you’re juggling two or three jobs to make ends meet, and you are worried that you’re not spending enough time with your children. Without some way to turn off this stress, we are at risk for stress related diseases from heart attacks, stroke, auto-immune diseases and even diabetes and cancer. But it is possible to turn off the stress response, and that’s where the breath comes in.
A simple technique called Deergha Swaasam – Sanskrit for simple deep breath – will turn off the sympathetic nervous system and turn on its counterpart, the parasympathetic nervous system. Take a minute to really think about that. By slowing down the breath consciously, we can turn on the relaxation response. The body responds by lowering the heart rate and blood pressure, the muscles relax and the metabolic rate slows down. The overall effect – Ahhhhhhh. You feel relaxed. Gauranteed!
Here’s how it’s done.
Sit comfortably on a chair, feet on the floor, spine elongated. Scoot forward on the seat of the chair so your back isn’t touching the back of the chair. If you’re comfortable sitting cross-legged on the floor, that’s also appropriate. Begin to close and soften the eyes and become aware of your body, internally. If something is hurting, make a gentle adjustment until your body isn’t bothering you at all. Then become aware of the breath, without any judgement.
Whatever the breath is doing is fine for the moment. Just stay there, watching the breath, for up to 10 inhalations and exhalations, all done through the nostrils. Then begin to gently expand the breath by filling up the belly with air and letting it flow out effortlessly.
Do that a few rounds of inhales and exhales. If you’re unsure that you’re doing it correctly, place a hand over the belly button area. On the inhale it should puff out like a balloon. On the exhale, it should contract. (If you think you’re doing the opposite, try doing this exercise on your back. It’s almost impossible to “reverse-breathe” while lying on your back). This is the first part of the three-part breath.
For the second part, fill the belly, then expand the breath into the rib cage area. Exhale all the way down to the bottom of the lungs. Try this a few times, then you’re ready for the third part: Inhale into the belly, fill up the rib cage and keep expanding the breath until the upper chest is also filled with air. You’ll notice the collarbones lift slightly, but don’t shrug the shoulders upward. It creates tension.
Exhale from the top of the lungs, through the rib cage, then all the way to the bottom of the belly. Pull the belly in towards the spine at the end of the exhale, which pushes the last little bit of breath out. Automatically, the breath will want to rush in again.
That’s all there is to it! Keep this practice up for 10 to 15 minutes, and it will shift you out of crazy and into cool, calm and collected. At the end, take a minute to just notice how you feel and hold that thought. You might want to send out a little gratitude to the universe or say a prayer for peace. The world can surely use it.
If you’d like to have someone talk you though it, you can go to YouTube, for a lesson on Deergha Swaasam. Here’s the link:
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=h03PgrYna4k
Author Meera Patricia Kerr’s new book, Big Yoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies is changing the face of yoga. It’s an adapted approach to classical yoga that takes into account the more modern Western body. Most American women are a size 14 or larger, and men in the U.S. are much beefier than the ancient sadhus (holy men) who invented yoga. Big Yoga isn’t just BIG in terms of size, but expansive and inclusive of the many different approaches to yoga, from asana (the poses), breathing techniques, devotion, meditation and even selfless service.
The original Big Yoga Hatha 1 DVD was described by Dr. Dean Ornish as “envigorating and restorative”. A second DVD in the Big Yoga series, Big Yoga Flex-Ability, is now available at the website below.
You don’t have to be thin to enjoy the benefits of yoga!
Related Articles:
Guided Breathing Video: Letting Go of Old Stress Patterns
How To Do Deep Breathing Relaxation Techniques
Deep Breathing – The Correct Way to Breathe Through Stress
Yoga, Breath Control Exercises and Gong Therapy for Stress
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