You are part of the cycle of life.
When you breathe in, you breathe in all the things that your body needs for life. You breathe in oxygen which perfuses your cells, tissues, muscles and organs. When you breathe out, you breath out carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other gases which are toxic and would kill you if you didn't breathe them out. Through a process called photosynthesis, leaves pull in carbon dioxide and water and use the energy of the sun to convert this into chemical compounds such as sugars that feed trees. But as a by-product of that chemical reaction oxygen is produced and released by trees.
How you breathe is literally how you do life.
Imagine when you breathe in, you are breathing in that which you need.
When you breathe out, you are exhaling what which you don't need or don't want. Letting go of things you don't want: exhaustion, stress, responsibility, headache, body pain etc.
Observe the quality of your breath. Is it easier to breathe in. Is it easier to breath out. Is it easier to take in life, or let things go. How you breathe is how you do life.
Breathing bridges both the voluntary and involuntary nervous system.
It is both a voluntary and involuntary activity. By voluntarily manipulating your breathing, a person can affect his involuntary responses.
The body has two nervous systems: the central nervous system or voluntary nervous system and the autonomic nervous system, which is considered involuntary. The central nervous system controls muscular movement and voluntary responses. The autonomic nervous system controls the function of organs, breathing, emotions (through the endocrine system) and it also is concerned with sexual response (through the endocrine and circulatory systems).
Breathing is the only way we interface between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Try to control your heart rate...you can't. However you can control your breathing, purposefully slow it down and deep or make it more rapid.
If a person is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system reacts as if he were in actual physical danger (increased heart rate, etc). This continued reaction can cause symptoms of stress. A person can be taught techniques to release the tension by learning to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, bringing into balance with the sympathetic side. Its about balance.
The parasympathetic side of the nervous system is calming, the more subtle relaxed side that allows for pleasure and free flowing feelings. This is also where healing takes place. Ideally there is a balance between the two systems, and this can be achieved by changing a person's breathing pattern. If a person is tense and fearful, moving the breathing to the belly and slowing it down will activate the parasympathetic system and calm the person.
Breathing is how we oxygenate the tissues of our body
Imagine when you are breathing, you are oxygenating all the tissues, cells, muscles and organs of your body. If you take 10 proper big breaths, image how much oxygen is getting to these tissues and organs. This is one of the least expensive and healthiest ways to get precious oxygen into your cells.
Breathing is an important tool that can bring us back to presence
There are times when we are in a place where we don't know what to do.
It feels as if everything is going wrong, the world is collapsing around us, the sky is falling, we are being hailed on, hammered and it won't stop.
If you can only do one thing, that thing is stop and breathe.
Breathing will help to ground, and shift your energy. It can bring you back to a felt sense of self. Ten breaths will bring oxygen and vitality to your body and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Then take another 10 breaths and look around.
See how the world is different.
The Nervous system, vagus nerve, adrenal system and breath work
There is a body of work around the vagus nerve, our nervous system and how it is connected to the adrenal system and therefore our immune system and relates to anxiety and depression. Breathwork is the main ingredient in vagal toning.
If a person is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system reacts as if he were in actual physical danger (increased heart rate, etc). This continued reaction can cause symptoms of stress. A person can be taught techniques to release the tension by learning to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, bringing into balance with the sympathetic side. Its about balance.
The parasympathetic side of the nervous system is calming, the more subtle relaxed side that allows for pleasure and free flowing feelings. This is also where healing takes place. Ideally there is a balance between the two systems, and this can be achieved by changing a person's breathing pattern. If a person is tense and fearful, moving the breathing to the belly and slowing it down will activate the parasympathetic system and calm the person.
Breathing and breathwork is part of Awareness Integration work. You can learn more about it here.