breathe loud, breathe proud

I've written about it before and I'll write about it again, darn it: the ujjayi breath. Take just a few yoga classes and you'll soon know that the single most important part of the practice is not the poses at all, but this breath. This noisy, raspy breath. The Conqueror Breath. Victorious, Oceanic, The Darth Vader....Ujjayi Breath. Whatever you call it, it is what draws our bodies from one pose to another, keeps our minds centered, activates our parasympathetic nervous system and efficiently floods the entire body with oxygen. Have you grasped the importance? Regular breathing in and out through the nose, chest breathing or cardio-style breathing are just not enough for yoga, physically or mentally. It makes a huge difference to feel the breath on the throat and slow it down significantly. In a group class, surrounded by other audible breaths, we remind each other gently to stay focused and breathe. 

Intentional breathing in daily life is the end result of the ujjayi technique. As we work to control, suspend and calm the breath during our practice, it becomes more natural off the mat as well because we're stronger. We're not just breathing deeply in a yoga class, we're breathing deeply while folded, twisted or lengthened; the lungs and diaphragm need to get stronger and work much harder to fill and expand, so when we're off the mat, strong intentional breathing comes more naturally.

"When we get into a difficult pose, a long hold in Utkatasana (chair pose) or a Navasana (boat pose) that never seems to end, the easiest thing to forget about is the breath. It’s instinct to hold our breath or shorten it. That is the moment when we need the breath most, we need the oxygen. It’s the same thing off the mat." - Source

A lot of people hold back because they feel self-conscious about breathing loudly, but breathing demurely will only hold you back in yoga. So let loose! As a student, I remember struggling to grasp this technique, wondering how my fellow students were making that weird noise. I eventually learned it by trying to fake it. When I specifically tried to make that noise, I realized with surprise that I had it; I noticed how different I felt. If you're not sure you're getting the technique down, try being noisy with your exhales, just sighing loudly with your mouth shut. Even if you feel stupid or think you're just faking it, try it. When you feel that wheezy sensation of air moving through your throat, you'll know you've got it.

"This sound, called ajapa mantra (ah-JOP-ah) or 'the unspoken mantra,' serves three purposes: it helps to slow the breath down, creates a noise to focus awareness on the breath and helps to regulate respiration by continually monitoring and adjusting the evenness of the sound, the smooth flow of breath." -Source

It may sound dramatic, but there is truly little benefit in doing yoga asanas without the ujjayi breath. Working toward this technique will strengthen muscles and mental focus that you didn't even know you had. If you're still feeling like you're missing something or need a different explanation to make it click for you, please ask me or your yoga instructor for help. Cultivating strong, confident breathers and yogis is what we're here for. <3

running, yoga & exercise induced asthma

EIA makes running difficult, especially as the weather changes.

Wikipedia (actually has a better definition than Mayo Clinic, so don't judge) describes Exercise-Induced Asthma as the following:

"Exercise-induced asthma, or E.I.A., is a medical condition that occurs when the airways narrow as a result of exercise. The preferred term for this condition is exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB); exercise does not cause asthma, but is frequently an asthma trigger"

I've had exercise-induced asthma/bronchoconstriction ever since I first began running at age 8. For years, I thought that maybe I was breathing wrong, not in tip-top shape or just wasn't cut out for running. Shortness of breath certainly isn't out of the ordinary when you're running, but my symptoms would last long after I was done. Wheezing, phlegm, chest pain and coughing always went on for at least a few hours afterward, often into the next day if the weather was cold or if I ran particularly hard. 

Over the years, my asthma seemed to get worse. A scary asthma attack after a high school cross-country race prompted a visit to the doctor, where I was finally diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. Although it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, it was a big deal to me at the time. It made me feel like I would never be able to compete to my full potential and would always be at a disadvantage to my asthma-free peers. I tried the inhaler-route for a few years, longer warm-ups and cool-downs and even the Vitamin C method, but nothing seemed to lessen my symptoms.

Running, in particular, is aggravating to E.I.A. in 3 main ways:

1.) Being outdoors: When outdoors, the lungs have no protection from the air. It's especially aggravating if you have seasonal allergies or if the weather is cold and dry.
2.) Mouth-breathing: During vigorous exercising, such as running, we use the mouth. Anytime unfiltered air rushes straight off the back of the throat, it quickly dries out the airways and can aggravate asthma symptoms.
3.) Posture: When we run, we're leaning, hunched over, the entire time. Our chest is compressed as we lean into the next stride. Try as you might, it feels ridiculous to keep the chest upright (open) while running, so the chest is already tight.

Aside from inhalers, there's really not much information out there for alternative asthma treatments. Trust me, I've looked. Prevention methods would obviously involve not running, not running outside and/or not running in the cold, but that doesn't really work for a runner. As I began to learn more about yoga, I hoped it would help.

Yoga is usually safe to practice if you have E.I.A.

There may be certain pranayama (breathing techniques) that don't work well for you, but normally, during yoga, we breathe in and out slowly through the nose. Yoga is also normally practiced indoors, sometimes even with humidity added to the room...all great conditions for exercising without experiencing asthma.

Even after years of yoga and pranayama, I would not say that my E.I.A. has improved when running. I've been running for 20 years and it will be a sad day when I have to hang up my running shoes, but I still struggle in the cold, I still wheeze and cough and experience chest pain. Yoga can help with many various health issues, but I'm not touting it as a cure-all. But in relation to E.I.A, yoga DOES greatly aid in the aftermath. The following is a little compilation of poses I like to practice when I'm having a tough time after a run. The goal of many of these poses is to open the chest and loosen mucus from the lungs.

Camel
Cobra
Cow
Bridge or Wheel
Thymus reset

If you have exercise-induced asthma, I hope something here was helpful to you. I know how frustrating of a struggle it can be, especially when you really love something. I will always love running. There is absolutely nothing like it. I will always hate asthma. There is also nothing like it.  But for now, as long as I can enjoy a long run through the woods, I will embrace a few hours of post-running hacking.

alternate nostril breathing

When a student recently asked me about our alternate nostril breathing practice, I explained that it actually helps to create synapses in the brain between the left and right hemisphere. This was not exactly the answer anyone expected. :)

Alternate nostril breathing is a breathing exercise (pranayama) to help restore imbalances in your brain. It is a relaxing technique, usually practiced at the beginning or end of a class and will leave the practitioner feeling refreshed and alert. It's not just bringing extra oxygen into your blood and brain, there's some very interesting science behind it.

Your nostrils contain nerve endings that are directly linked to your brain and nervous system. Breathing in through your left nostril will stimulate the right “feeling ” hemisphere of the brain for increased alertness, while breathing in only through the right will stimulate the left “thinking” hemisphere and calm the mind. A little memory hook, right nostril = relax, left = alert

Research has shown that we all tend to favor one nostril or the other throughout the day. You may notice it sometimes and it may switch every few hours or so, but we don't always breathe openly through both nostrils. It has also been found that during times of congestion, brain activity on the hemisphere linked to the less congested nostril is more active than the clogged up nostril and corresponding hemisphere. (Now you know why you feel so dopey when you get a bad head cold and both nostrils are obstructed)

Consciously alternating your breath between nostrils activates the brain as a whole for increased function and helps to correct these imbalances in nostril functioning and brain functioning. Cool, huh? Here are some of the main impressive benefits of this pranayama:

Maybe it's just me, but I definitely think I could use some extra brain function sometimes. :)  Alternate nostril breathing is not complicated to practice, it's just a slow intentional deep breathing technique. If you'd like to try it, follow the directions below.

Alternate nostril breathing is safe for most people to practice, but under no circumstances should anything be forced. As with any pranayama exercise, if you feel too congested or if you ever begin to feel light headed for any reason, please stop and return your breathing to normal.

This pranayama is a great option for that little mid-afternoon boost. So maybe next time you're ready to turn to coffee or caffeinated soda, try a few rounds of caffeine and sugar-free alternate nostril breathing.

Namaste!

For more interesting articles and studies on alternate nostril breathing and its immediate effects on the brain, metabolic processes and immune system, check here.