Breathing, a voluntary and reflexive controlled movement, is too easy for us, so we do not pay much attention to it. Breathing is the gross manifestation of the life force of the physical body in living beings. If we take a single-celled organism and put it under a microscope, we will recognise its first expression of life by its expansion and contraction.
In every living organism, this force of life or energy is manifested through expansion and contraction.
Emotional Breathing and Limbic System
Most people understand, on a subconscious level, the relationship between breathing and emotions. It is common knowledge that heightened agitation and anxiety result in rapid, shallow breathing, while feelings of relaxation and contentment lead to slow, deep breathing. What may not be as widely acknowledged is that deliberately altering our breathing pattern can impact our emotional state—quick, shallow breaths can increase agitation, while slow, deep breaths can foster relaxation.
Among essential physiological functions, breathing stands out as being both voluntary and involuntary. Unlike the heartbeat, which is necessary for life but beyond our direct control, breathing can be consciously regulated with relative ease.
Breathing and respiration are controlled by various centres spread throughout the brain, including the brainstem, limbic system, and cerebral cortex.
The brainstem oversees unconscious regulation to maintain balance in the body, while the limbic system influences emotional responses related to breathing. Additionally, the cerebral cortex allows for voluntary and deliberate control over breathing patterns.
Effects of Emotion on Breathing
What we observe now, in the present time, especially in the present generation, is that our feelings are very dull. By dull, I mean the level of intensity is relatively low. There are perhaps multiple reasons for this, but I think we are too busy to pay significant attention to what is going on in our system. There are too many attractions in the outside world. We are busy with different kinds of pleasures, duties, social calls, and everything else. We have no time, not even half an hour, to study our bodies and keep our health in the right conditions so that we would not be disturbed.
Our emotions play a more significant role in our breathing patterns. There are studies conducted by neuroscientists using brain imaging to fathom anatomical signatures for emotional states. It is interesting to find that emotions not only generate brain signatures but also somatic signatures, including changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, mostly unconsciously. There are specific remarkable findings in these studies, which are:
The detailed mechanisms of the neural control of breathing are directly correlated with emotions.
Peptidergic circuit regulated by bombesin-like neuropeptide genes neuromedin B(Nmb) or gastrin-releasing peptide (Grp) expressed in neurons of a breath control centre (RTN/pFRG) regulate long deep breathing pattern, generally in the time grief or mental exhaustion.
Utilising slow breathing techniques can lead to autonomic adjustments that enhance Heart Rate Variability and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, coupled with alterations in Central Nervous System (CNS) activity. Analysis of EEG scans demonstrates heightened alpha waves alongside reduced theta power.
Emotional Breathing and Amygdala
Research explores whether anxiety impacts respiratory rate or if it is the other way around. The focus of this relationship may lie in the limbic system, particularly the amygdala. EEG findings suggest that anxiety related to breathing patterns may originate in either the amygdala or the temporal pole. The temporal pole is considered part of paralimbic regions responsible for assessing environmental uncertainty or threats. If anxiety does indeed influence respiration, these brain areas might become active even before the breathing process begins. It is theorised that respiration stems from instinctive responses within the amygdala and that these processes co-occur. Direct stimulation of the amygdala can lead to a rapid rise in respiratory rate, often accompanied by feelings of fear and anxiety.
The amygdala may trigger rapid breathing, intertwining anxiety with respiration even before we are aware of it.
Effect of Breathing on Emotion
If emotion affects breathing patterns, the opposite is also true. Studies show that conscious regulation of the breath can affect the motor cortex of the brain. When the breathing in both nostrils is equally balanced, the inhalation and exhalation process is consciously done, and the body is calmed. Moreover, respiration is directly related to feelings of fear and anxiety, so if the breathing action is regulated, anxiety and fear can be checked.
Breathing Practice in the Yoga System
A significant part of the Yogic system is learning how to control the energy in our bodies. It is a tomfoolery and act of charlatans that people try to catch that energy outside of their bodies. Human beings do not have the power to regulate or control energy outside of their physical being. The fundamental tenet of the Yogic system is that we are the centre of our world., and the life force that I was talking about in the very beginning is manifested within us. Yogic practices teach us to control the breath because breath is the outward manifestation of prana (life force). Since prana is a compelling thing in Yogic practices, it will be handled carefully, so all kinds of breathing practices must be practised under the guidance of a true teacher.
By regulating your breath, you will find a rhythm in your system, and that rhythm will bring harmony to your mind and your organic functions. When you are able to draw more oxygen, the system will automatically eliminate more impurities of your system.
Meditation and Breathing System
I cannot say that only one kind of meditation system will bring the best result because meditation depends on multiple factors, particularly the psyche of a practitioner. There are numerous methods of meditation, and you can choose the method that leads you easily to the desired goal.
In deep meditation, the breath naturally slows, quieting the mind and bringing harmony to both body and spirit.
There is a correlation between meditation and the breathing system. The basic stage of meditation is concentration, and when your mind is concentrated, your breath becomes slow and deep naturally. You do not have to make an effort. In deep concentration, your breath becomes slow and deep, and your mind will be quieted.
In India, we have our own room or corner in a screened-off room. It is a sort of chapel where we do daily religious activities or meditation. Even if you do believe in religious activities, a small chapel in your home where you practice regular meditation as part of your routine work will bring wonderful changes to your life.
Why Rhythm Is Important?
When a band of soldiers crosses a bridge, they are ordered to break steps because the frequency of marching may be equal to the natural frequency of the bridge. If they don’t, the bridge will vibrate so much that it will be shaken to its foundation. A thousand men walking on a bridge, dropping steps at the same time, and going with rhythm are tremendous powers.
You try to breathe rhythmically a few times and see what vibration you get. You will generate heat, and your body will be shaken. The yogic system says that a rhythmic action of breath will eventually give the power to control all organic functions of the body. All the changes that we find in our breath are conditioned by our mental states, and vice versa. When we regulate our breath and change the short, quick breaths into long and deep ones, we indirectly regulate our mental states.
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