Five Powers of the Breath
Five Powers of the Breath
When I was introduced to meditation, pranayama and asana practices, I was especially intrigued by my teachers’ breath cues.
Many teachers would incorporate guidance such as “notice your breath,” “pay attention to your breath,” “lengthen your exhale,” “feel the rise and fall of the breath,” “move with your breath.” As a novice, these cues felt well-intended, but redundant and boring and difficult to fathom. I’d often wonder “but why” should I pay attention to my breath. Even when I got more accustomed to hearing these cues, I still only noticed my breath when I was instructed to do so. I did not realize at the time that these cues would strengthen my capacity to notice, feel and be aware of both what’s happening within and around me.
Having spent the last decade studying and deepening my own practice, I’ve experientially learned just how powerful it can be to cultivate breath awareness. What once felt like an unfamiliar and boring cue now is my go-to anchor–both in my teaching and in my personal practice. I find that through a consistent practice of noticing the breath we can reap many benefits that ripple into our daily lives. Listed below are five (of many!) benefits available to us when we cultivate a practice of noticing the breath along with simple affirmations. I share these, because I think sometimes, especially if we are new and/or reluctant to a practice, it can be helpful to have a baseline understanding of the why (or the potential why) before we experience and find out for ourselves. If you are a seasoned practitioner, I hope this piece guides you to reflect on your own practice.
Lastly, disconnection from the breath is one of the most common trauma responses. If you feel your breath is shallow, stuck in your chest, and/or unnoticeable, please consider connecting with me or another trauma-informed practitioner to support you in easing into these practices.
Anchoring Ourselves
We can often feel scattered or disconnected physically, mentally or emotionally when we arrive at the cushion, chair or mat for our practice. Whether we intend to journal, read, meditate or move, taking a few moments to notice the breath gives our mind permission to focus on one thing. On some days, we might just be able to focus on one cycle of breath before we remember and get fixated on something else–am I doing this right? I can’t believe she said that at the meeting, my knee really hurts. I wonder how mom will be feeling tomorrow when I go visit her. Know that this is okay, because the mind’s job is to think. With consistent practice, we might be able to notice more cycles of breath before our mind shifts and when it does (not if), we’ll notice it more quickly and return to the object of our focus. Over time, breath awareness supports us in strengthening our ability to focus and remembering that we have the power to choose where we focus.
Affirmation to explore: After each inhale and exhale, repeat: “this is one cycle of breath.” You can repeat this for 10 rounds of breath or one-two minutes.
Turning our awareness inward
Noticing our breath is also a skillful means to turn our awareness inward. When we are moving through our days, we are inundated with lots of information. To focus on our breath, we have to narrow our focus and suddenly–even if for a brief moment–our attention is not only not divided between many things but shifts from external to internal. This internal awareness–interoception–is what scientists call “our hidden sense” and includes all the signals sent to our brains from our internal organs. Cultivating an awareness of our breath can help us strengthen our interoception and with stronger interoception we notice experiences happening inside of us such as the number of heartbeats we have in a particular span of time, where we are breathing from, tightness in the belly, tension in muscles, even the degree to which we feel safe or a sense of belonging in our environment. Our ability to notice these experiences correlates to our ability to regulate our emotions which, in turn, helps us make skillful choices about how we respond.
Affirmation to explore: Gentle place a hand on the belly and feel the rise and fall of the breath from the inside. As you notice the breath, repeat: “My body is breathing itself.” Stay here for 2-10 minutes.
Living in the now
Focusing on the breath supports us in remembering the truth that the only moment in which we are alive is the present moment. On a daily basis, human beings will take roughly 25,000 breaths but are unaware of most, if not all, of them. In one sense, this is understandable given that breathing is an automatic function of the body. However, when we do become aware of our breath, we unite the mind and body so that we can fully experience the moment unfolding in the now. This is especially helpful if we find ourselves often completing tasks–such as driving, washing dishes, taking a shower, practicing asana or other movements–and then wondering how we even got here. If we pay attention, we will notice that even though our body is doing something in the moment, our mind has wandered off to what was or what will be. By remembering that we are breathing, we bring our mind back to the present moment. By continuously doing so, we can become more attuned to what is happening in the current moment.
Affirmation: As you complete a daily task such as washing the dishes, take a moment to remember that you are breathing. Once you are connected to your breath, repeat: “I am here” (as you inhale). “I am alive” (as you exhale). You can continue to engage in the activity as you complete this practice.
Always with us
Perhaps the aspect of the breath I cherished the most is that it is always with me–wherever I go. Unlike other comforts like my journal, my bed, my cup of tea, or my mat, the breath is with me when I am at the grocery store, in traffic or in a tense work meeting. When I feel myself getting impatient, angry or disengaging and I notice my breath, it invites me to drop back into my body and then I can lengthen my exhales which help me stimulate my parasympathetic nervous system, which supports the body in returning to a calmer state. Knowing my breath is always with me also helps ease any feelings of anxiousness or loneliness I might feel, as though I have a confidant and a friend with me.
Affirmation: After each inhale and exhale, repeat: “My breath is here. I am here.” Repeat this for at least 10 rounds.
Reminds us of impermanence
Noticing the breath, we are reminded that no two cycles of breath are the same and that each cycle of breath will pass and eventually we will all take our final breath. This was the most uncomfortable but eventually the most freeing realization for me. While the practice of remembering that we will–like everything else–cease existing in our current state–may not be a widely acceptable or comfortable topic to talk about in the West, the contemplation of death is a very common practice in many faith traditions. Remembering the truth that we will not exist as we are forever can be a gentle invitation to pay attention to all who is/what is around, not take any of it for granted, and be cognizant of where and how we choose to spend our finite energy. When we pay attention to our breath from this perspective, we can also cultivate gratitude for the breath and all the functions of the body that support us in taking each inhale and exhale.
