Scientists, poets, novelists, and content writers have all written about the glories of breath! 

• Breath of fresh air– as in a compliment
• Draw breath– a poetic way to breathe slowly
• Catch your breath– to stop for a moment and rest
• Bad breath (halitosis)– a medical condition
• Faint breath– dramatic description
• Completely open glottis– scientific jargon
• Save one’s breath– not worth the breath to speak
• With bated breath– to wait expectantly
• Take a deep breath– instruction for adding calm

But what do dictionaries have to say about defining breath?

Dictionary.com defines breath as, “the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.” Simple and direct. Whereas Merriam-Webster defines breath as, “air filled with a fragrance or odor.” Vague and confusing. The Collins English Dictionary defines breath as, “to take (air) into the lungs and let it go out again; inhale and exhale, especially easily and naturally.” This definition indicates you have some control over how you breathe.

Overall, dictionary definitions of breath can leave you wanting a deeper understanding of what breath really is. And we are here for that! Let’s explore all aspects of the breath. 

The importance of breath

What was the first act when you came into this world? It was taking a breath in! And your final act will be breathing out your last breath. Everything in between, we call life. But generally, we are unaware of our breath unless we make a mad dash for the bus, do some cardio, or have an ailment that affects our breathing. 

Breathing is an autonomic function of our involuntary nervous system. We don’t even need to think about breathing for breathing to happen. For this reason and more, we tend to take our breath for granted. 

But unlike other autonomic nervous system functions, breathing can also be a controlled function. You can consciously slow your breathing, speed up your breathing, and hold your breath. But if you stop breathing for too long, you cannot continue living. 

Breath is life.

The power of breath

Besides being unaware of our breath, often we are unaware of why we feel the way we do. In a sense, we have lost the ability to connect the dots. Poor sleep, bad company, unhealthy food choices, lack of exercise, accumulated stress, and not breathing properly- all contribute to how we feel to various degrees. But what if there was a way to improve sleep, increase mental clarity, give you an energy boost, relieve stress, and improve your overall mental and physical health and well-being? There is! It’s your very own breath!

Learning to work with our breath allows us to control our minds, thoughts, and emotions. It is similar to flying a kite. When you pull the kite string, the kite will either go up or down. So the breath is like a string, and the mind is like a kite. This is one reason why breathing techniques can have a positive impact on your life. 

Try this simple breathing technique to experience a direct connection between the mind and the breath.

Ujjayi Breath/Victory Breath

The mystical side of breathing

We all know that the act of breathing brings in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide. But did you know that breathing gives us the ability to access subtle life energy called prana or qi (chi)? Fresh air has higher levels of prana. This is why we can experience low energy levels when we don’t have access to fresh air. We can also experience a natural high when we spend time in a forest or at the seashore. The air quality we inhale matters.

Here’s a simple breathing exercise you can use to increase your prana levels. 

Noopur Umarji   Breathing Technique - Bhastrika Pranayama

The practical side of breathing 

90% of toxins in our body can be eliminated through the breath. But most of us only use about 30% of our lung capacity. 

What kinds of toxins are released through the breath? 

1. Environmental toxins- Some examples are air pollution, secondhand smoke, synthetic fragrances, household cleaners, and other airborne elements. 
2. Lifestyle toxins- Chemicals that leach into water from a plastic bottle, tannins and mycotoxins in alcoholic beverages, charred meats, smoking tobacco, marijuana, and other substances.
3. Endogenous toxins- These toxins originate from our internal biological systems and our metabolic processing. One example is candida yeast.

You can see why it’s very important to increase your lung capacity. With that being said, breathing alone isn’t sufficient to mitigate all of the effects of the toxins we are constantly being exposed to. This is where breathwork and lifestyle changes are needed.

It’s good to know that breathing exercises like the one above, bellows breath, help release toxins in an efficient way, while also strengthening and expanding our lungs. 

Breathwork benefits

Besides regulating emotions, eliminating toxins, increasing subtle life energy, and expanding your lung capacity— what else can breathwork do?

• Reduce stress 
• Alleviate anxiety
• Improve sleep quality
• Reduce PTSD
• Improve immunity
• Regulate blood pressure
• And more…

Amazing that one's breath can do all that!

A breath of fresh air

Take a deep breath and relax! You can breathe easily knowing that your breath holds the key to not just maintaining your life, but also enhancing your life in nearly every way. Even if you have difficulty breathing, breathing techniques will improve the quality of your life.
One such technique, SKY Breath Meditation, unlocks all of the breathwork benefits listed above (to an even higher level than other breathwork techniques), plus many more benefits! 
Style Magazine calls our programs, “a breath of fresh air.” And I couldn’t agree more! 

As a SKY practitioner for over 28 years, I have truly learned what my breath is capable of doing for me every day! 

So you can get a small taste of what SKY can do for you, I invite you to attend a free breath and meditation session with a live instructor. 

In addition to learning more about SKY Breath Meditation, you will also have the opportunity to learn and practice bellows breath with the guidance of a breath expert, and enjoy a guided meditation.

Make your next breath count!

#BreatheStrong!