Why the Breath is a Powerful, Healing (and Free) Inner Resource

Are you breathing right now? I very much hope so – but the more important question is how are you breathing? Of course, if we are alive, we are breathing continuously, whether awake or asleep (the average person takes around 20,000 breaths per day). But for most of us, the quality of those breaths is not good. If you are stressed, anxious or otherwise hyperaroused (any high-energy state) your breathing is probably fast, shallow ‘chest breathing’, where we breath from the upper part of our lungs. This is especially pronounced if you are feeling highly anxious or panicky, which is why slow, abdominal breathing is one of the most effective ways to help yourself during a panic attack.

I have long practised a variety of breathwork techniques, and taught them to my clients. But I didn’t realise quite how important the quality of those 20,000 breaths were until I read the brilliant Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by science writer James Nestor. It’s a fascinating read, explaining why humans’ breathing patterns changed along with our diet. As hunter-gatherers, we ate tough, chewy foods like meat, nuts, roots and plants. All that chewing gave us strong jaw muscles – and partly because of this our Neanderthal ancestors also had flatter faces, with wide nasal passages that allowed them to breathe easily and deeply through their nostrils (like all other mammals).

After the Agricultural Revolution, around 10,000 years ago, humans started eating softer, mushier cooked foods like bread. As a result, Nestor argues that our jaw muscles atrophied and became weak, while the whole shape of our heads and faces changed. This has led to ‘mouth breathing’ – taking the in- and out-breath through your mouth – which is unnatural and causes a wide range of health issues for modern humans. In Breath, Nestor argues that every breath we take should be slow, deep and steady, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

I loved this book and found his arguments extremely persuasive. They also backed up what every therapist and breathwork practitioner knows – that the breath is a simple, highly effective resource when we are feeling stressed, anxious, upset or angry. It’s free and you can practice deep breathing anywhere. No fancy equipment or expensive therapy needed. Here is a foundational breathing technique – Compassionate Breathing – that I teach my clients and students, as well as using on a regular basis myself. I hope you enjoy it.

The practice

• Start by making sure your feet are flat and grounded on the floor. Gently roll your shoulders back and feel your chest open up – many people skip this step before they attempt breathwork and so have a tight, restricted torso, which makes deep breathing tricky

• Lengthen your neck and spine so you’re sitting in a relaxed but upright posture

• Close your eyes, if that feels comfortable for you, or soften and lower your gaze

• Now take some slow, deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth

• Try counting to four seconds on both the in-breath and out-breath, making your breaths as smooth and steady as possible – imagine your breaths feeling like silk as they travel in through your nostrils and out of your mouth

• Keep breathing deeply for one minute

• Now place a hand on your belly and see if you can make the hand rise and fall with each breath

• Notice how your abdomen naturally expands on the in-breath and deflates, falling away on the out-breath. Focus on your hand, feeling it rise and fall, rise and fall

• Now keep breathing deeply for another two minutes

• Then take one last deep breath and slowly open your eyes

How are you feeling now? Just scan your body and see if you’re feeling a little calmer, a bit more relaxed. You may also notice that your muscles have softened a little, or your shoulders have dropped. For some people, none of these things have happened, which is completely fine. If that’s true for you, try one of the other breathing techniques in my online store, such as 4-7-8 Breathing or Box Breathing, which some people find more effective.

But I hope you are noticing some small, positive effects from three minutes’ deep breathing. If so, I would encourage you to use this technique often throughout the day, especially if you’re feeling a bit activated or overwhelmed. You can also use it any time you’re struggling – on the bus, in a meeting, having a fight with your partner, or driving your car. It’s just deep breathing, so you can’t do it too much.

I hope that helps – if you would like to listen to this or my other breathwork techniques, you can find them in my store. Just click the button below to listen now – they are just £3 to download and listen to as often as you like. If you are able to purchase them, please do, as that allows me to offer everything in my store for free to those who need it.

Love,

Dan ❤️