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BY BERTHA SCHOLTEN,
M.Ed. LCP NCC
As our schedules begin to “rev” up in the fall after the slower summer season, we may notice an increase in feelS ings of anxiety or depression. As the pace picks up, the best way to stay both calm and energized is to practice centered or “full body” breathing. Full body breathing is a symphony of both powerful and subtle moments that massage internal organs, oscillate joints, and alternately tone and relax muscle tissue.
The waves of our breath also carry emotional content and messages from the psyche, and they open us to our own creative potential. Learning to move with our breath, rather than against it or without its support, can transform our life.
Because respiration is prij marily regulated by involuntary controls through the central nervous system, we might wonder why anyone should bother to “work” with their breath. After all, our bodies are breathing automatically day and night. But is calm, rhythmic breathing the usual state of your body?
My observations have led me to conclude that shallow breathing and chronic breath holding are so prevalent in our culture that a person who can breath freely is rare. This is a frightening state of affairs, considering the impact poor breathing has upon our health, well being, and quality of life.
What does it mean to breathe in a healthy, functional way? This question is more difficult to answer than one might think. At one end of the spectrum is the unconscious, involuntary breath; at the other end is breathing that is controlled and regulated by the will. In between the two extremes lies the “essential” breath, a conscious flow that arises out of the depth of our being and dissolves effortlessly back into our core.
To access this essential breath, we must first be able to focus on and perceive our own breathing process; that is, we must make the unconscious conscious.
You might begin your investigation of your breathing patterns by trying an experiment in observation, because becoming aware of your habits is the first step in recovering healthy breathing.
If you observe a baby or a dog asleep, you will notice how their breath naturally expands into their bellies. We begin life with healthy breath
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