The Tibetan Yoga of Breath: Breathing Practices for Healing the Body and Cultivating Wisdom (9 page)
Authors: Anyen Rinpoche,Allison Choying Zangmo
How does abdominal breathing benefit us? As we discussed previously, by breathing abdominally, we increase the oxygen available in the blood, and therefore the brain. But also, when we breathe deeply with prolonged nasal exhalation, this action enables the vagus nerve to reset itself.
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The
vagus nerve
is an aspect of our nervous system that brings equilibrium and balance to the whole. It either stimulates or calms the system, depending on what is needed. Therefore, working with wind energy training actually delivers the necessary antidote to everyone, no matter what type of stress imbalance we suffer from, despite differences in our state of mind and physical health.
I
MBALANCE AND
THE
N
ERVOUS
S
YSTEM
Drawing a line between stress and anxiety can be difficult. From the point of view of the five elements, anxiety is merely a stronger expression of stress. It is also challenging to find the line between anxiety and depression, as the two frequently occur together.
That is why it makes sense to think of the root of all of these disorders as having a common denominator:
elemental imbalance
.
While Tibetan philosophy describes this common denominator as relating to the elements, Western medicine describes it as an imbalance in our autonomic nervous system.
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We have already learned that the autonomic nervous system is made up of the complementary interaction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses. However, we can add one more component to this to help us understand how the body reacts to different and more extreme forms of stress:
heart rate variability (HRV)
. HRV is an important indicator of both our mental and our physical health.
HRV refers to the variation in our heart rate in response to many different things—emotions and stress; physiological factors such as hormones; and breathing. HRV is part of a feedback loop connecting the heart and brain through the nervous system. A greater variability in HRV points to good health, while decreased variability in HRV is associated with a number of unhealthy states. Even the core mechanisms of the body, such as heart rate, need to be able to adapt to a variety of conditions. As we discussed in the context of movement and energy, stagnation, or a lack of variability, is unhealthy. A lack of variability points to a habitual cycle, reaction, or behavior that may or may not be appropriate under the circumstances. In our own lives, we recognize that a failure to adapt to new circumstances usually brings us mental and emotional suffering, and even illness.
What does HRV have to do with anxiety and depression? Both depression and anxiety are associated with low HRV.
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This means that both anxiety and depression are characterized by an inflexible and unbalanced autonomic nervous system. The rebalancing of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which happens each time a healthy individual breathes abdominally, is disrupted. When a healthy person inhales, HRV increases, as the sympathetic nervous system is activated. With exhalation, HRV decreases, due to activation of the parasympathetic nervous
system. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are actually self-regulating, constantly bringing themselves back into balance.
When we are anxious or depressed, our heart rate has trouble adapting to the constantly changing environment around us. This means that the nervous system, which ordinarily functions dynamically, becomes stuck in a pattern. Through conscious awareness of our breathing, we are able to stimulate the aspect of our nervous system that is underactivated in both anxiety and depression: the parasympathetic nervous system. We are able to elicit a relaxation response through elongating our exhalation. Proper abdominal breathing, accompanied by exhalation through the nose, supports a healthy balance in our bodily systems.
HRV and the Breath
Frequent shallow breathing, or thoracic breathing, and breathing through the mouth both consistently stimulate the sympathetic (excitatory) nervous system at a low level. This means that for many of us, being stressed out is the ordinary way of being. Even when there is no actual or perceived stress, simply because of our breathing habits, our sympathetic nervous system is overactivated. Not only that, but because our HRV is low when we suffer from depression and anxiety, our parasympathetic nervous system is underaroused. Our body is unable to counter this excited state and calm itself down.
The parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated by slow breathing and prolonged exhalation,
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such as when we engage in wind energy training. Shallow breathing through the mouth into the chest leads to shorter exhalations, as the volume of air is moved quickly in and out of the lungs. However, when we breathe through the nostrils and into the abdomen, not only do we breathe less frequently but our exhalations are prolonged. What this means is that abdominal nose-breathing not only makes more oxygen available to our bodies in a more efficient manner but it also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system less frequently.
B
REAKING THE
C
YCLE OF
S
TRESS
Wind energy training helps us break the cycle of all stress-related disorders. As we purify and calm the wind-mind through engaging in focused daily practice, we are able to rebalance body and mind and release the mental, emotional, and physical effects of energetic stagnation. Working with the breath as we will learn to do in the chapters that follow helps us to bring the nervous system back into balance and increase our HRV. It brings us into elemental balance, and enables us to approach life with tolerance and acceptance.
Here are some of the ways we can break the cycle of stress and anxiety in our lives:
Cultivate discipline and routine.
Routine helps to bring calm and stability to our mind and emotions. This feeling of stability reduces our stress levels. We might develop a daily routine that includes wind energy training and yoga practice. Our routine might include waking up at a consistent time, having set mealtimes, leaving and returning home from work on a schedule, and practicing wind energy training at a certain time each day. We need not give up all of our choices and restrict all of our activities, but we can find a balance between routine and spontaneity if we make a schedule for certain, important things we do each day. Keeping a daily schedule makes it easier to not get caught in cycles of unhealthy or stagnant energy because we keep ourselves in motion doing things that we know keep us healthy and balanced.
Exercise regularly.
Movement, ordinary exercise, and especially yoga help keep body and mind healthy. Along with any extreme state of mind comes the feeling of being stuck in a particular kind of energy. When we engage in
physical movement, the basis of the stagnation is dispersed, and our emotional state changes. It is especially beneficial to work with a sacred movement system such as yoga, which is designed to work with the channels and to balance the wind energy. Even if we just do a simple form of exercise such as running, the movement of the body causes the energy of the bodily channels to move. As the channels move, the movement causes the channels to relax and soften. As a result, the wind-mind becomes unstuck and is able to move more freely. In the next chapter, we will learn about the physical aspects of wind energy training, which we can incorporate into our daily routine.
Pay attention to basic needs such as diet and sleep.
The Buddhist teachings, as well as medical science, point out how eating and sleeping patterns contribute to imbalanced states of mind. Eating and sleep routines are uniquely tied to our mental outlook. For example, when we have low energy or are emotionally upset, we often eat too much. This can be related to wanting to feel full or feel physically comforted by food. When we eat too much, we often feel heavy and unhealthy, and as a result, this can disrupt our sleep patterns. In the case of a high wind state of mind like anxiety, we often eat too little because we are not able to sit down and focus on eating. Our wind energy can be so high that we do not notice that we are hungry. There is a general lack of awareness of the body’s needs because we are so highly stimulated. Be sure to get enough sleep and make thoughtful choices for healthy eating. Avoid eating on the run—plan ahead for meals so you don’t find yourself buying takeout on the way home. We can also try to check in with our body several times a day to notice how we feel, or even keep a journal that details what we eat to help us evaluate our nutritional intake.
Relax.
We should also take the time to do things that we enjoy, including our spiritual practice! When we are overwhelmed by an emotional imbalance such as anxiety or depression, we often forget, or do not have the energy, to do things that make us feel good. Even if we find we are not able to read, or paint, or do some of the things we normally would do to relax, there is one simple thing that we can do to relax and improve our mental perspective: get out into nature. Some research shows that depression and anxiety are actually relieved by living in close proximity to open, green space.
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This may be because people who live near open space are more physically active or get more sunlight and vitamin D; however, you do not have to relocate simply because you feel blue. Go outside and get some fresh air, or take a walk around your neighborhood. Take your coffee to the park and read on a blanket in the sun. Walk or ride your bike to the grocery store. Find a short hike close to home. When we relax, the wind energy and the elements in the body naturally begin to bring themselves back into balance.
Make small changes.
All of us engage in behavior that we know is not healthy for us, but we do it anyway. We should cultivate an attitude of being willing to put aside and stop these unhealthy behaviors. We will not be able to do it all at once. However, we can make small changes in our behavior that accumulate into a bigger change. For example, we could set our alarm ten minutes early and use that time to not be rushed, or to work at our contemplative practice. Over time, we could increase that amount to fifteen minutes.
Work with health care practitioners.
Mental and emotional imbalances have all sorts of causes. Some of them, such as a lack of vitamin D, food allergies, or diet, can be
addressed by traditional or naturopathic health care professionals. As stated earlier, we are not doctors, and we believe in taking a holistic approach to all imbalances. We should not leave any potential causes for imbalance unexamined.
Seek spiritual guidance.
If we are serious about a contemplative practice or wind energy training, we should seek an appropriate teacher. We should put our time and energy into developing the relationship as well as the spiritual practice. We may connect to spiritual practice by reading books and thereby have a place to start, but without cultivating a relationship with an authentic teacher, our practice will not deepen. When we work with a teacher to develop a consistent contemplative practice, we have the support we need to engage in wind energy training, which will reduce our stress and other imbalances and improve our overall quality of life.
PART TWO
4
IN THE LAST SEVERAL CHAPTERS,
we reflected on the importance of wind energy training to our physical and emotional health. Wind energy training dispels the causes of many serious health problems that are related to a lack of oxygen in the blood, tissues, and major organs. We have also noticed the relationship between wind energy and our emotional state—how our strong feelings and neuroses rise up upon a rush of wind energy, or we can become emotionally stuck when our wind energy is stagnant. Either way, our lack of flexibility can keep us in an unhealthy place.
Now that we have spent some time contemplating the importance of working with the wind energy, we may be feeling inspired to practice. In this chapter, we begin to learn several basic wind energy practices through the three yogas, or practices, of body, speech, and mind. These three yogas are the foundation of wind energy training techniques, and must be mastered before we move on to chapter 5.
S
UPPORTING
S
PIRITUAL
H
EALTH
First, let’s take a look at how physical and emotional health supports our spiritual health. What is spiritual health? After having spent some time reflecting on the difference between self-acceptance and self-attachment (chapter 2), we have gotten a preview to the answer to this question. One way that the Buddhist teachings define spiritual health is having a sense of interconnection with other living beings on the planet, as well as respect for the natural environment. Recognition of this interconnection with others is developed as we call to mind the things that all beings have in common: the wish to attain happiness and avoid suffering. We can reflect on this by thinking that all of the wonderful things we want for ourselves, others want them too. Just so, all of the painful things we would like to avoid, others wish to avoid those things too.
However, spiritual health is far more than a mere sense of connection. True spiritual health arises from discovering love and compassion for all sentient beings. In doing so, we cut through our own painful feelings of anger, resentment, and strong desire, which cause us so much personal unhappiness and sorrow. By bringing ourselves back into harmonious relationship with friends, family, and the larger community, even those we may dislike, we ourselves become spiritually rich.