There is a significant link between a person’s breathing patterns and state of mind. While many people may not recognize the connection, to experienced yoga practitioners it is a simple statement of fact.

Yoga teachers also believe that while shallow and rapid breathing can be a consequence of stress, if this breathing pattern is the norm the body maintains a more stressful state.

Take notice of how you breathe if you are startled. This is when you will find yourself doing a quick inhalation primarily to only your upper lungs.

If this kind of rapid chest breathing becomes habitual, it causes the body’s stress response to be continually activated. This persistent undercurrent builds chronic stress, with all its debilitating effects.

Consciously practice breathe deep into the bottom of your lungs to reduce feelings of panic and to help keep chronic stress at bay.

Nasal, Diaphragmatic and Abdominal Breathing

The yogic remedy for this rapid chest-breathing is the practice of certain breathing exercises that teach people how to breathe slowly and deeply and to maintain it as a healthy habit.

One way to do this is to breathe through the nose in order to allow greater resistance to the air that flows in the nasal passages. This slows the breathing rate and prevents ‘gulping’. Another benefit of nasal breathing is that incoming air becomes warm as it is being filtered in the nostrils.

An alternative practice is Ujjayi breathing, which is a diaphragmatic form of breathing. This method allows the vocal cords to be narrowed which increases air flow resistance and similarly slows down one’s breathing. As the person performs Ujjayi breathing the sound created in the process enables yogis to achieve better meditative focus that reduces stress.

Both nasal and diaphragmatic breathing involve inhalation. In abdominal breathing, the person’s abdominal muscles squeeze more of the air out during exhalation. Thus, a larger and more oxygenated breath volume will be achieved. Taking deeper and slower breaths is more efficient in bringing more oxygen into the lungs and then into the bloodstream. It also more efficiently carries out the exhalation of carbon dioxide and other waste products.

The process of slow effortless exhalation as practiced in Yoga can will help trigger an individual’s sense of calm and state of well-being. Slow exhalation releases tensions in the sense organs and relaxes facial muscles. There will be improved communication between the brain and all the sense organs, creating feelings of wholeness and restfulness.

Advantages of Practicing Yoga Breathing Techniques

Rapid and shallow breathing increases the likelihood of elevated carbon dioxide levels in the body which can lead to mental agitation and an overall loss of physical and mental efficiency. The breathing techniques being taught in Yoga enables the parasympathetic nervous system to be more active, while reducing the activity in the sympathetic nervous system. This means that the fight or flight response will also become less active, thereby creating a calm state.

The diaphragm is a muscle, and the diaphragm of a person who is chronically stressed is likely to be relatively fixed and inflexible. However, with regular practice of Yoga, the diaphragm will eventually become more elastic as more correct breathing exercises are performed. Improved breathing methods create a system much more capable of handling any kind of physical, emotional and intellectual stress.

Yoga Leads to Improved Control of Your Thoughts

Yoga also promotes better control over your thoughts. This creates an environment in the mind where unreasonable fears and anxieties are gently avoided. Once this ability is developed the person will become more efficient in performing their daily duties and feel more stress free, rather than depleting energy with needless and useless worry.

Continual practice will allow a true sense of calmness and tranquility to fill the whole being. For stressed individuals, the Sun Pose and other whole body Yoga exercises are highly recommended so that the person will be encouraged to engage in deep rhythmical breathing.

Yoga is a beautiful and natural way to find stress relief every day.