Summary: Breathing is not something we have to think about. Our bodies do it naturally. But taking control of one’s breathing can have a positive impact on everything from stress release to emotional regulation. Controlling the mechanics of breathing opens the door to its mystery.
Breathing is the only human bodily function that occurs involuntarily but can also be brought under the control of the conscious mind. We don’t have to think about making our hearts beat or remind our hair to grow. Likewise, each one of us takes tens of thousands of breaths every day without conscious effort on our part. Yet we can do something with our breathing that is impossible with heartbeat or hair growth: take control.
Breathwork is founded on that amazing principle. When we turn our attention to breathing, we have the opportunity to seize control of body, mind, and spirit.
Here at Maloca Sound, we explore the intersection of vibration, frequency, and somatic experience. The most fundamental vibration is the rhythmic expansion and contraction of the lungs. Therefore, we give considerable attention to breathwork. Breathwork allows us to explore not only the mechanics of controlled breathing, but the mystery as well.
The Mechanics: How We Breathe
The biological machinery that makes natural, involuntary breathing possible is fascinating. Breathing itself is all about pressure.
It begins with a diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle positioned just beneath the lungs. The diaphragm contracts and shifts downward as you inhale, creating a vacuum in the chest cavity. Pressure created by the vacuum is that which sucks air into the lungs. Exhaling reverses the process. The diaphragm relaxes, moves upward, and pushes air out.
As powerful as the diaphragm is, it cannot do the job alone. It is supported by a set of intercostal muscles, the abdominal muscles, and accessory muscles in the neck and shoulders.
The diaphragm should do about 80% of the work. However, our modern and stress-filled world has turned many people into ‘chest breathers’. This means that the muscles in the upper ribcage and shoulders are doing most of the work.
Interestingly, chest breathing constitutes a low-level state of alarm to the brain. So people who chest breathe most of the time could actually be contributing to their own stress.
Natural vs. Controlled Breathing: Autopilot or Manual Flight
If we compare breathing to flying a plane, autonomic (involuntary) breathing would be like the autopilot setting. Controlled breathing would be manual flight. Both are appropriate under certain conditions.
Autonomic Breathing
Natural, autonomic breathing is regulated by the brain. A part of the brainstem, known as the medulla oblongata, reacts to the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. A higher level of carbon dioxide signals the body to inhale. Why? Because the body needs more oxygen and less carbon dioxide.
It should be noted that breathing is a reactive process. That’s why being startled temporarily results in shallow and fast breathing. But while you are sleeping, your breathing becomes much slower and more rhythmic. In both cases, breathing acts as a mirror of your internal state. When you are on high alert, your breathing is faster and much shallower. But when you are relaxed, it is slower and deeper.
Controlled Breathing
Where autonomic breathing is reactive to your internal state, controlled breathing becomes a modulator of that state. By consciously controlling the depth, rate, and rhythm of the breath, it is possible to bypass the brain’s normal autopilot. Instead of the medulla oblongata triggering inhalation, the motor cortex signals the diaphragm to contract and shift downward.
In a state of controlled breathing, you are no longer reacting to the environment. You are taking control of your nervous system and telling it how to react. Best of all, you can do things like extending the exhale to encourage relaxation or practice rapid ‘bellows’ breathing to speed up your heart rate and increase your alertness.
The practice of breathwork takes all of this into account. If nothing else, breathwork is a controlled breathing practice designed to help release tension, focus the mind, and gain control of the nervous system.
The Physical Impacts of Controlled Breathing
The more we have learned about controlled breathing, the more we have come to understand its profound impact on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). One could say that breathing has a remarkably close relationship with the ANS. Note that the ANS is divided into two branches:
- Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – Responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response to stress.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – Responsible for the ‘rest and digest’ response.
We can hack into the ANS by controlling how we breathe. The key is understanding that inhalation is linked to the sympathetic response while exhalation is linked to the parasympathetic response. Depending on how we want each of these two branches to respond, we can control both inhalation and exhalation.
Controlled breathing influences heart rate variability (HRV). A high HRV demonstrates a strong ability to switch between states of stress and recovery. It is also an indicator of emotional stability. But more important is regulating carbon dioxide.
Many people mistakenly believe that breathwork is all about getting more oxygen. It is not. It’s actually about managing carbon dioxide. Slowing down one’s breathing triggers a slight increase in carbon dioxide. In turn, this allows more oxygen to be released into the blood – meaning more oxygen actually reaches the cells throughout your body.
The Mental Impacts of Control Breathing
How we breathe impacts our state of mind, and vice versa. A stressed mind leads to faster and shallower breathing. But slower and more rhythmic breathing helps calm the mind.
One of the goals of breathwork is to break the loop created by stress and chest breathing. Chest breathing is a signal of stress to the brain. When under stress, the brain naturally defaults to shallower and faster breathing. Breathwork interrupts that cycle. The results are amazing:
- Stored tension is released.
- Anxiety is reduced.
- Stress is managed.
- Emotional responses are managed.
Breathing is both a mechanical wonder and a natural mystery. Breathwork is all about controlled breathing that harnesses the autonomic nervous system and its natural responses to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. Best of all, it is an exercise that works extremely well with therapeutic sound.
FAQs
Is breathing through the nose better for controlled breathing?
In most cases, yes. The nose is a filtration and conditioning system that both filters incoming air and triggers a release of nitric oxide.
Can controlled breathing lead to hyperventilation?
Breathing too fast or too deeply, without a therapeutic goal in mind, can lead to hyperventilation. The issue can be resolved by slowing things down.
Why does deep breathing make me emotional?
Deep breathing through the diaphragm tends to release physical tension in particular muscles. Releasing this tension can trigger a simultaneous release of emotional trauma and stress.
How would I know if I’m breathing correctly with the diaphragm?
Diaphragmatic breathing takes place below the rib cage. So if your belly moves more than your chest during inhalation and exhalation, you are using your diaphragm.
Can controlled breathing help with pain?
Yes, controlled breathing designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system can help with pain by reducing the fight-or-flight response.
