Science + Yoga Philosophy = Breathing for Mood and Stress Management

By: Amy Weaver, LCSW-C

“First, last, outer, inner, I am only breath.  Breathe.” Rumi

Understanding the Basic Science:

Have you noticed what happens to your body when you feel stressed or anxious? Your heart might pound and your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Maybe your muscles tense and cause pain. Maybe you feel sick to your stomach. And maybe when you notice these physiological responses, you feel more stressed or worried, creating an anxious feedback loop.

For me, it’s heart palpitations.  When I was a kid, piano recitals always made me feel like I had to pee, no matter how many times I’d gone to the bathroom. This, friends, is the sympathetic nervous system at work.  Without any effort on our parts, our bodies automatically prepare us to deal with any perceived threat. The body prepares to fight or flee, whether or not there is any actual threat that requires response.

 Our bodies have a mechanism for calming down once the threat is passed. The parasympathetic nervous system takes over and returns breathing, heart, and organ functioning to normal. The body is able to “rest and digest” and our mind feels relaxed.  However, when stress doesn’t subside and anxiety is constant, the body may not be able to calm. There are Yoga practices that can interrupt the stress response and encourage the rest and digest of the parasympathetic nervous system. The practices work by regulating the one body process that we can consciously control: the breath.  The breath is our access point to the parasympathetic nervous system.

Yoga Philosophy:

In Yoga, breathing practices are called pranayama--ayama, meaning to stretch or extend, and prana, which means “that which is infinitely everywhere.” According to TKV Desakatcher in The Heart of Yoga, “with reference to us humans prana can be described as something that flows continuously from somewhere inside of us, filling us and keeping us alive: it is vitality.” In yogic philosophy, prana is Chi, or the Life Force, and prana is everywhere, animating everything on Earth. Prana travels on the breath.  Prana can be blocked or dispersed outside of the body, which causes emotional upset or dis-ease. By consistently practicing pranayama, or breath control, we can remove the blockages and ensure the free flow of energy and emotion. Pranayama is watching the breath, focusing and stilling the mind by paying attention to the sensations and sound of the breath as it enters and leaves the body, and then sensing and noticing the effects of the practice.  The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says: “When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still.” 

Making the Connection: 

Whether you like the scientific or the Yogic explanation for why and how breath control works, there are a ton of breathing practices to try.  I like both the practical and the mystical explanations. For me, adding the spiritual dimension to what amounts to self-care and coping skills reminds me of my connection to the inhabitants of this earth.  Feeling connected feels better than feeling alone with our stress or anxiety.

There are practices to calm down and release stress or build energy and lift your mood.  The practices can be used to prepare for meditation, to wake up in the morning when you’re having trouble getting out of bed, to relax after work or school, to handle anxious feelings in high pressure situations. Calming breaths are especially helpful to cool off and give yourself space to think and respond deliberately rather than reacting and saying or doing something you’ll later regret .  You can do the practices at work, at school, in the car, in the yoga studio (see Ujayi below)-- almost anywhere. Most of these practices are ancient, but what I will present in this series was codified for use in mood management by one of my brilliant teachers, Amy Weintraub, in her books, Yoga for Depression, Yoga Skills for Therapists,  and her LifeForce Yoga trainings and seminars. 

I offer you two simple, calming Yoga breathing techniques to get you started.

 Ujjayi, or Ocean-Sounding, Breath:

When I used to teach yoga to kids, I referred to this as the Darth Vader Breath, because we all know how Darth Vader sounds when he breathes.  The technique is this: Gently contract the vocal cords as you breathe in and out through your nose. (Think the distant sound of ocean waves as they approach the beach and return to the sea). Listen to the sound of your breath as you inhale...and exhale.... Repeat and keep repeating. 

Hint:  If you are having trouble getting a sense of what it means to contract your vocal cords, open your mouth and exhale as if you are trying to fog up a mirror.  This is the sound you are going for. Now close your mouth and continue to make the sound.

Left Nostril Breathing:

This one is as easy as they come, yet shockingly effective at calming busy the mind. Make a fist with your right hand. Release your pinky and ring fingers. Use your thumb to block off your right nostril.  Then just breathe, inhaling and exhaling, through the left nostril. That’s it. Notice the effect. A little of this goes a long way.  

 Follow with a few rounds of Alternate Nostril breathing if you know it. (If you don’t, we’ll cover that next time).

Stay tuned for more calming Yoga breathing practices.   In the meantime, “The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day.  Just take a moment. This will give your mind a steadiness and your breath a gracefulness.” Rodney Yee