As a yoga teacher, the idea that breathing slower and deeper was going to help me recover was something that made total sense to me but for others, newer to the world of Mindbody practices, it’s often deemed as absurd! “How can I be this unwell and breathing slower help me, I need medicine, not more air” I’ve seen written and heard spoken many, many times. Of course we all want a quick fix, something to take away the pain and hellish experience of feeling so unwell, but it’s been proven time and time again now that how we breathe is an essential regulatory factor in the health of our body.
When we are stressed, the first thing that changes in our bodies is how we breathe – its more shallow, possibly held for longer, the breaths per minute increases and our heart rate will increase as a result. If it stays like this for a long time, it’s a bit like leaving your foot on the accelerator of a car with the hand brake on, things start to go a little awry.
If you can, attend a breath class for people in recovery from health issues, Covid in particular can affect the respiratory system and create really dis-regulated breathing patterns alongside shortness of breath, so starting gently with a teacher you trust is vital. Getting your breath back into a healthy pattern will help you regulate the nervous system and allow you to shift into the state of rest repair more easily. Read Breath by James Nestor, it’s the perfect book to help you understand the ‘why’ and definitely makes the idea less absurd and more essential.