Connecting with our breath

Bringing our attention to our breathing is one of the most effective ways to reduce tension and recover from stress. It is an element I use reliably when I teach movement to different kinds of people.

The point is to observe how we are breathing, without changing anything and without making any effort to breathe deeply or in any particular rhythm. Just let breath come and go of its own accord and let each breath take the time it needs, without rushing. While this may sound simple, I have always found it a challenge to purely observe myself breathing without changing anything. Many of us have deep-seated notions of what 'good' breathing is, and something in us wants to try hard to do those things. So letting go and observing ourself, as a neutral, detached observer, while a simple concept, is not necessarily easy to do.

It can help to turn our attention to different aspects of breathing. Here are some questions we can ask ourself to get started:

Movement: where do we feel movement as we breathe in and out? Our lungs are expanding and contracting, and while we cannot directly sense our lungs - they do not contain nerves - we can feel movement in the areas around the lungs - belly, ribs, back, shoulders, hips. We may perceive movement in difference places when inhaling and exhaling. And we may perceive movement in difference places in our left and right sides. (Just as most of us have a dominant hand, we may also have a 'dominant lung' and tend to breathe more easily into one side, as a habitual pattern of movement.) What quality does the movement have? Is it smooth, gradual, pleasurable?

Air movement: how do we perceive the air flowing in and out? It flows into our nostrils, to the back of our mouth, our throat, our windpipe, and into our lungs, then back out again via the same path. What is our perception of the temperature, humidity, speed of flow and volume of flow of the air in our right and left nostrils? How big is the volume in our mouth or throat? What differences do we experience between breathing in and breathing out?

Rhythm: every breath is different. At times when we are not regulating our breath, but letting it come and go of its own accord, there will be some variation in the rhythm and pattern of breathing. This is normal and healthy, and shows our system is doing its job of self-regulation, adjusting our breathing to our needs at that moment. How deep are we breathing? How long is the inhale? How long is the exhale? Is there a pause in between, or do we go straight from inhaling to exhaling and back to inhaling? Is the transition to inhaling smooth or is there a moment when something catches a little? What about the transition to exhaling?

Spending a few minutes purely observing ourself in the act of breathing, without any expectation and with genuine curiosity about ourself, is an ideal start to any bodywork, breathwork, or meditation session, helping calm our nervous system and bring our attention to ourself in the here and now.

How do you observe yourself? Please leave a comment.