Close the window    Breathing Lessons - how breathing properly aids health Los Angeles Magazine, April, 2001 by Jenna Mccarthy EVERYONE DOES IT, BUT, SAY experts, not all of us do it well. Executed properly, it can be a life-changing experience, simultaneously relaxing and rejuvenating every cell in our body. We're talking about the basis of life hem--breathing--and taking the process for granted is dangerous business. Endless studies support the fact that nurturing the diaphragm can improve digestion and circulation, reduce stress and anxiety, promote restful sleep, boost metabolism, improve athletic performance, lower blood pressure, eliminate back and neck pain, and prevent or reverse a slew of illnesses. Breathless? Inhale slowly and read on. A CASE FOR BREATHING In a landmark 30-year study conducted at Buffalo University, researchers drew a direct correlation between lung function and longevity. In a follow, up study, they concluded last year in the journal Chest that "pulmonary function is a long-term predictor for overall survival rates in both genders." In other words, the better you breathe, the longer you live. And apparently, the better you live. "People in our culture need stress relief, and they're ready for spiritual elevation," says Stewart Richlin, lawyer turned yogi and owner of Yoga on Melrose, who says he's been sanctioned by the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhists to give instruction in meditation and breathing. "Breathing gives you both." "I see breath as the movement of spirit in the body," agrees Andrew Weft, M.D., America's integrative-health guru and author of Eating Well for Optimum Health. "It's the central mystery that connects us to all creation." Epidemiological experts know that the bearded wonder isn't just waxing poetic. After all, many cultures use the words for spirit and breath interchangeably. "The thing that moves the breath in a living being is the same force that moves the stars in the sky," says Richlin. "Think about it: spirit, respiration, inspiration, spiritus sanctus, spiral. In Tibetan they call the breath Lung-Ti, the horse, the thing we're riding." If breathing is so primal, how come the entire Western world seems to be doing it wrong? BLAME YOUR TRAINER "We're a country obsessed with flat stomachs," observes Weft wryly. "But tight, rigid abdominal muscles crimp the action of the diaphragm, which needs to move easily in order to breathe." (Note to prime-time TV producers: Your stars are in big trouble.) This is not to say that out-of-shape slobs are in the safety zone. "People resist breathing correctly because they're afraid of having their bellies stick out," says Dennis Lewis, author of Tao of Natural Breathing. "Fashion magazines and gyms perpetuate this. Yes, you should have strong abdominal muscles, but they should also be flexible and supple." When someone is breathing naturally--the way babies and animals do--everything moves: diaphragm, chest, ribs, belly, and back. "Breath is like an internal masseuse," says Lewis. "As you inhale, the diaphragm massages the kidneys, spleen, and liver. On the exhale, it moves up and massages the lungs and heart." In Eastern medicine, the movement of breath is also believed to stimulate the lymphatic system, which is responsible for detoxifying the body. According to this theory, shallow breathing allows lymph to stagnate, which can leave the body open to disease. "When people learn how to breathe properly, they're amazed," says Michael Grant White, CMT, a breathing development specialist and founder of breathing.com. "Their energy goes up, they're sleeping better, they're losing weight and recovering more quickly, they're running faster and winning races. They begin to realize that breathing affects every cell and system in the body." RX FOR STRESS Isn't breathing something that just happens? Yes--to an extent. Respiration is one of two functions (blinking is the other) that can be controlled voluntarily or involuntarily. According to Weft, around 80 percent of the population is breathing incorrectly without even realizing it. Thanks to the more-is-more mentality inspired by DSL connections, PalmPilots, and instant messaging, most of us live in a state of constant, low-grade anxiety. The body cannot distinguish between the distress of, say, a vicious saber-toothed tiger crawling into your cave and that of an overbearing boss hovering outside your door. Both signal danger, and the fight-or-flight switch is flipped, sending adrenaline production into overdrive. Muscles tense. Heart and pulse rates go up. Digestion slows. Breath becomes shallow or even momentarily stops. With nowhere to run and nobody to fight, there's no signal that the danger has passed and all systems can relax. "Until we see that our lives are not normal and stress is not normal, we will never be able to tap into the power of breathing," says Lewis. But you can begin by simply taking stock. What does your breath feel like? How much of your body does it occupy? Where do you feel it most? "Spend two or three minutes sitting comfortably and just observing the breath," Richlin says. "Be patient, and don't let your mind wander. Your body has a built-in feedback mechanism: Your breathing will change if you pay attention to it." MOM WAS RIGHT Quick, take a sideways glance in the nearest mirror. If something like a question mark is looking back, you've identified a fundamental problem. "You simply cannot breathe fight if you're slumped forward and caved in on yourself," says Whim. "Sitting or standing up straight is essential." While proper posture can be perfected in a yoga or Pilates class or through the Alexander Technique or the Feldenkrais Method, the basics are relatively simple: Think of lifting the fib cage off the hips, widening the collarbone, reaching the crown of the head toward the ceiling, and gently squeezing the shoulder blades together down the back. Once you've created a space in which your organs can move freely, prepare for the next breath by completely emptying the lungs. Inhale through your nose as you imagine filling the body from the bottom by taking air first into the pelvis, then the abdomen, then the chest. Think about expanding not just forward but out in every direction. One way to feel for this is to place your hands on your rib cage, with thumbs resting on the front and fingers wrapping around toward the back. Zipping the lips is key on the inhale. The nose is lined with tiny hairs, called cilia, that filter out particles and irritants. Nostril inhaling also warms and humidifies air before it reaches delicate lung tissue. When you hit maximum lung capacity, pause briefly before beginning a slow exhale. "As you exhale through your nose, the air exits but the prana, or energy, goes up into the forehead, across the crown, and down the throat into the heart and belly chakras," explains Richlin. "It extracts the life force and invigorates the nervous system." Weft teaches a variation on this basic breathing technique that he calls the "relaxing breath." First, exhale completely through your mouth. Then inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven; then exhale completely through your mouth to a count of eight. Weft recommends four cycles to get the kinks out in a pinch. "It is the most powerful tool I know for stress management," he says. If the counting business is too burdensome, simply focus on lengthening your exhalation. A long release--much like a sigh--stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for what's known as the relaxation response. "You don't have to count or time it," says Lewis. "If you put your awareness on the exhalation, the inhalation will take care of itself." Practice this tension-busting move--during the Oscar preshow, in airport traffic, while awaiting a bikini wax--to calm nerves and keep adrenaline production under control. LIVING, BREATHING PROOF The ultimate goal is to breathe fully, which is not the same as taking the deepest breath you can. It means finding a comfortable pace and involving the entire body in the process. Still stumped? Wait until the boss bolts, then log on to www.breathing.com. Spend a few minutes contemplating its animated diaphragm, and your breath is likely to fall in sync. Lewis believes a good stretching session, as often as every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day, will encourage deeper, more complete breathing. With patience and diligence, one can hope for emotional enlightenment as well as improved physical and mental health. "No matter how well we do it, we're all going to stop breathing one day," Lewis points out. "Until then, we have the power to improve the quality of our lives. To be whole, the breath has to expand and occupy more of the whole being. In every great tradition, there's a link between the emotional, spiritual, and physical bodies. That link is the breath."