Breath: the intelligence of the body

A participant in my yoga class once asked, “Why you give so much importance for breathing in your class?” She has been hearing a lot on Pranayama, Ujjayi breath, Kumbaka, Surya Bhedana, Chandra Bhedana, Puraka, Racheka… I tried my best to draw a convincing argument to explain this great process we inherited from the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) millions years ago; or as narrated in Genesis 2:7. Whatever be the legacy of your belief, it is a highly evolved process; a testimony to nature’s law of adaptation and utilization. It defines who you are. This may be an ideological definition and may not work in a (yoga) class setting where views, opinions and convictions differ significantly. However, I started to use this definition lately and realized most explanations about breath lead us in the same direction:

• Breathing is the ability of the body to increase the volume of thoracic cavity to create ample space for lungs to expand. It is a classic example of Boyle’s law: pressure and volume are inversely related. Higher the volume, lower the pressure inside the lungs; and greater the amount of air getting into the lungs. Mindfully activated breathing, with time, improves aerobic capacity.

• Consider breath as “allowing the air in” rather than “taking the air in”. This will change our perception on breath.

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• Ujjayi (victorious) breath warms up the body. Have you ever thought the number of muscles working in deep breathing? The internal energy helps to stretch, flex and extend muscles to achieve full Range of Motion.

•  Breathing is one of the pillars of Tristana (three points) yoga. Other pillars are Asana (pose) and Dhrishti (focus).

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•  Mindfulness in breath is an easy way for centering prior to the execution of poses. Breath makes yoga a moving meditation.

•  Deep breath using chest, diaphragm and abdominal muscles strengthen diaphragm and generate diaphragmatic “space” for the abdominal muscles to create postural support. Simple yet useful apanasana connect breath with the body movement and enhances upward release of the diaphragm and helps to alleviate lower back tension.

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•  Ujjayi breath creates the internal energy required to cleanse the nadis or energy channels (Yoga, in essential, is Nadi cleansing). Pranayama balance and cleanse the major nadis (Ida and Pingala).

• Pranayama brings the equanimity of “ha” and “tha”, the sun and moon in you; balance the masculinity and feminity, an equilibrium of action and retrospection.

• Deep breathe in some poses (for example matsyasana) pressurizes air through nostrils, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi flushing out the toxins adhered to their inner walls. This pose may sensitize the thyroid and parathyroid. Deep breath in matsyasana may activate the thymus gland and improve the immunity. It is a simple pose loaded with benefits.

• Breathing is the accompaniment to the music of Om (a symphony of breath and word).

Breath is the intelligence of the body. I heard this brilliant definition in a yoga retreat recently. The origin of this definition could be traced back to Kausitaki Upanishad in Rigveda (the oldest canonical sacred text of Hinduism). So, what is Intelligence? Experts do not concur on the subject. References we set on various abilities make intelligence subjective- somebody who might look intelligent to me may not have the same impression on you. Leading contemporary psychologists including Howard Gardener, David Perkins, and Robert Sternberg, however, agree upon one point: intelligence is a combination of the ability to learn; ability to pose problems (recognize problem and transforming them to defined ones); and the ability to solve them. Very optimistic definition.

Breath helps to learn about our body; it helps one to understand the limitation and imperfections; in yoga, working with the breath, we tend to reach solutions. Breath is consciousness. Consciousness, intelligence, breath and body make us who we are; and breath supersedes. No wonder the Psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath, Praise the Lord”

Jay