The power of the breath

One of the pulmonary attendings I worked with during residency used to say, “The normal body knows how to breathe”. The body adjusts the rate and depth of the breath according to our physiological needs. Nothing for us to do.

Fast forward several years and I’m in a meditation class trying to follow the simple instruction to keep my attention on the breath. My mind kept drifting away from the breath and I would get lost in thought over and over again. But I began to see that I had been taking it for granted, and I started to feel the power of the breath. Not only is it our life force, but it brings us into the present moment and calms the mind.

Recently, a colleague of mine became a “breath coach” to a family member who was managing Covid-19 at home. The challenge in Covid-19 is distinguishing anxiety of the illness from anxiety induced by decreasing oxygen levels. He performed deep breathing exercises with her twice a day to keep the lower parts of her lungs aerated. This helped him determine how her lungs were doing, and helped her manage the anxiety. Fortunately, she recovered fully.

Deep breathing exercises are also recommended for sick hospitalized patients to prevent pneumonia, and have been shown to improve lung function, quality of life, and anxiety in elderly patients with Covid-19. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises (see below) decrease blood pressure, depression symptoms, and levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Opera singers have learned to increase their lung capacity by deep slow breathing.

When we feel anxious, the breaths tend to become rapid and shallow. When we slouch in a chair, we prevent full expansion of the lower part of the lungs. What is your posture as you are reading this? Can you sit up a little straighter and notice what happens to the fullness of your breath?

I invite you to try one or both of the deep breathing practices below: