Why How You Breathe Matters
Do you agree that seeing something done well is deeply inspiring? Whether it is sport, music, or dance… for me, it is the combination of elements that is so captivating. Of course, there may be some "natural talent" involved, but it is interesting to consider that true mastery is about more than skill, more than commitment, and more than discipline.
Watching a post-match interview with one of the England World Cup football players, it was refreshing to hear him speak about breathing and meditation, and how those practices support his mental resilience, performance, and recovery.
The health and wellness benefits of these practices are evident, and there is an ever-growing library of research that confirms what we feel on the mat. If you are curious about the science, here are a few studies that offer some fascinating insights:
The Physiological Effects of Slow Breathing in the Healthy Human
The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults
The Four Pillars of Functional Breathing
Having guidance in your practice is invaluable. While some practices can be generally beneficial - little tweaks, and sometimes big changes, can make all the difference. In certain circumstances personalising your approach is even necessary to ensure your practice supports you safely.
To keep things beautifully simple day-to-day, here is a helpful little mantra to remember:
Nose, slow, low and light
1. Nose - your built-in filter
Breathing gently through your nose as often as possible is foundational. Persistent mouth breathing is dysfunctional: it bypasses the immune defenses of the nasal passages, encourages overbreathing, triggers upper chest tension, and is closely tied to chronic stress responses. Think about how you breathe when stressed. Remember breathing is bi-directional: how you feel affects how you breathe, therefore changing how you breathe affects how you feel.
2. Slow - pacing and regulation
Slowing down your breathing rate shifts the body into parasympathetic ("rest and digest") mode. The main driver here is the vagus nerve - around 80% of its fibers are afferent meaning that they carry signals from the body back to the brain. Stimulating the vagus nerve via slow breathing signals safety directly to the brain.
A note on pacing: Slow breathing is not inherently relaxing for everyone and what is "slow” of course varied from person to person. If you breathe a disproportionate volume of air, or force a slow tempo when your breathing pattern is dysregulated, it can actually trigger stress or anxiety. Pacing must feel comfortable.
3. Low - biomechanical efficiency
Focus your breath low into the belly and lower ribs, rather than lifting the upper chest.
Your diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing, innervated by the phrenic and vagus nerves. The lungs themselves are passive and they simply expand in response to the pressure changes created by the diaphragm and rib muscles. What we wear, how we sit and our general mobility and strength can negatively impact the ability of the diaphragm to function well. This is why a movement practice like yoga asana can be so helpful.
Your lungs expand in every direction, but downward expansion is critical. Gravity pulls blood to the base of the lungs, where you have the highest concentration of oxygen-absorbing alveoli.
Note: True diaphragmatic breathing creates a multi-dimensional movement and is not the same as simply pushing and pulling with your abdominal muscles.
4. Light - Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) is much more than a waste gas
Healthy blood oxygen saturation normally sits between 95% and 100%. Taking bigger, harder breaths does not add more oxygen to your blood because the oxygen is already there. What you need is for that oxygen to be transferred from your blood into your cells, brain, and heart. This is where carbon dioxide comes in and its role can be understood through the Bohr Effect:
The Bohr Effect: Hemoglobin is the protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. When CO₂ levels increase in the blood, the pH drops slightly, causing hemoglobin to release its bound oxygen so cells can use it for energy. The harder and faster you breathe, the more CO₂ you blow off - and the less oxygen is actually delivered to your tissues.
Breathing lighter allows CO₂ to build up to optimal levels, ensuring maximum oxygen delivery throughout the entire body.
Simple Daily Application
To integrate this into your everyday life, focus on gentle shifts rather than forced control:
Filter through the nose: Keep your mouth closed during daily activities and rest. You can consider taping your mouth to sleep. Myotape has been especially designed for this.
Breathe into the lower ribs: Feel a 360-degree lateral expansion when you breathe in and recoil when you breathe out. Placing your hands here or tying a scarf around you can help you to feel this more easily.
Less is more: Soften the volume of air you breathe so your breathing is quieter, lighter, and uses as little effort as possible.
Are there times to breathe faster and harder? Of course and you may be someone that benefits on utilising faster breathing techniques sometimes. The emphasis here is on how you are breathing most of the time? And, if you are engaging with faster breathing, how quickly and easily can you recover your breath back to nose, slow, low and light?