Conscious breathing encompasses techniques directing awareness toward thebreathing process, serving purposes from improving respiration to buildingmindfulness. In martial arts liketai chi andqigong, breathing exercises are said to strengthen diaphragm muscles and protect organs, with reverse breathing being a common method.Meditation traditions, includingyoga andBuddhist meditation, emphasize breath control. Yoga'spranayama is believed by practitioners to elevate lifeenergies, while Buddhistvipassanā usesanapanasati for mindfulness of breathing.
In music,circular breathing enables wind instrument players to produce a continuous tone. Singers, too, rely on breath control through consciously managed breathing stages. TheButeyko method in physical therapy focuses on breathing exercises for conditions like asthma, emphasizing nasal breathing and relaxation. In psychology, Integrative Breathing combines various techniques to address specific needs, particularly in cases of drug abuse disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.
New Agebreathwork practices, like Holotropic Breathwork and Rebirthing-breathwork, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s, use deepened breathing for accessing altered states of consciousness and purging repressed memories. However, the medical community questions the efficacy of some methods, such as the Buteyko method, due to limited evidence supporting their claims.
Intai chi,anaerobic exercise is combined with breathing exercises to strengthen thediaphragm muscles, improve posture and make better use of the body'sqi.[1]
Inqigong, reverse breathing is a breathing technique which consists of contracting the abdomen and expanding the thoracic cage while breathing in through the nose and then gently compressing it while exhaling through the mouth, which is the opposite of what an abdomen would do during natural, diaphragmic instinctive breathing.[2] The technique is also widely practiced in a number of martial arts. Some notable ones include Chinese systems such asbaguazhang,tai chi and other styles ofkung fu. Reverse breathing is believed to activate healing and protectiveqi as the practitioner is consciously controlling the breath in a way opposite to normal breathing. By expanding the abdomen while delivering some technique (e.g. punch), the martial artists also protect the inner organs from any received counterattack.[3]
Different forms ofmeditation andyoga advocate various breathing methods. In yoga these methods are calledpranayama.[1] In yoga, breath is associated withprana, thus, pranayama is a means to elevate theprana-shakti, or life energies. Pranayama is described inHindu texts such as theBhagavad Gita and theYoga Sutras of Patanjali. Methods include prolonging the in- and outbreaths, holding pauses on the in- or outbreath or both, alternate nostril breathing, and breathing with theglottis slightly engaged. Later inHatha yoga texts, it meant the complete suspension of breathing. The pranayama practices in modernyoga as exercise are unlike those of the Hatha yoga tradition.
InBuddhism,vipassanā focuses on breathing in and around the nose to calm the mind usinganapanasati,[4] a form ofBuddhist meditation meaning "mindfulness of breath", which was first introduced byBuddha.[1]
In music, somewind instrument players use a technique calledcircular breathing, a technique used by players of somewind instruments to produce a continuoustone without interruption. It is accomplished by inhaling through thenose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth using air stored in thecheeks. The technique was developed independently by several cultures and is used for many traditionalwind instruments.[5]
Singers also rely onbreath control. Natural breathing has three stages: a breathing-in period, breathing out period, and a resting or recovery period; these stages are not usually consciously controlled. Within singing, there are four stages of breathing: a breathing-in period (inhalation); a setting up controls period (suspension); a controlled exhalation period (phonation); and a recovery period.
These stages must be under conscious control by the singer until they become conditioned reflexes. Many singers abandon conscious controls before their reflexes are fully conditioned which ultimately leads to chronic vocal problems.[6]
TheButeyko method is a form ofcomplementary or alternativephysical therapy that proposes the use of breathing exercises primarily as a treatment forasthma and other respiratory conditions.[7] It focuses on nasal breathing, relaxation and reduced breathing. These techniques provide the lungs with moreNO and thus dilate the airways and should prevent the excessive exhalation ofCO2 and thus improve oxygen metabolism. Advocates of the Buteyko method say that it can alleviate symptoms and reliance on medication for patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic hyperventilation. The medical community questions these claims, given limited and inadequate evidence supporting the theory and efficacy of the method.[7][8]
In psychology, "Integrative Breathing" combines specific benefits of various schools of conscious breathing according to the needs of clients.[9][10] Research considersdrug abuse disorders,[11]post traumatic stress disorder,[12]alcoholism andsmoking.[13]
Coherent breathing is a method that involves breathing at the rate of five breaths per minute with equal periods of inhalation and exhalation and conscious relaxation of anatomical zones.[14][15]
Several forms of breathwork developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s are consideredNew Age practices.Holotropic Breathwork was developed by psychiatristStanislav Grof in the 1960s. It uses deepened breathing to allow access to non-ordinary states of consciousness.[16]Rebirthing-breathwork was developed by Leonard Orr in the 1970s. It uses conscious breathing to purge repressed birth memories and traumatic childhood memories.[17]
Some cultures have used breathing techniques for thousands of years to modulate emotions, health, and wellbeing.[18]
There is little to know about the connection between breathing and the effect it has on the parasympathetic nervous system, but some studies have contributed to some of that knowledge; one study done on mice from the Stanford School of Medicine included the removal of neurons from themedulla oblongata, which has a direct connection to thelocus coeruleus and is responsible for breathing rhythms. The locus coeruleus has connections that influence arousal. Removing the neurons did not affect the breathing of the mice, but it did increase the calm state of the mice. This seemed to show a stronger correlation between breathing and emotion.[19]
Other studies have tried to understand the science behind pranayama, a yoga technique that involves slow, controlled breathing. Such breathing has been shown to decrease the heart rate blood pressure and increase activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, which reverses arousal states and calms down the individual. Researchers theorize that slow, controlled breathing resets the autonomic nervous system.[20]
Still, little is known about the connection between breathing and emotions; however, using proper breathing techniques might be helpful for some people in stressful situations, such as taking tests for school.[21]
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