Are you frequently stressed?
Many people come to Yoga as a way to regain balance after hectic working hours and schedules. It has spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects and central to it, is breathing. Pranayama (prana = the vital life force) is the traditional term in for controlling breathing. This pretty much means deep inhalation and exhaling and it’s long been considered at the heart of the tradition,. The breath enables the body to produce energy. You can find various online articles and videos on its techniques. For most people who practise it, there are many benefits to Pranayama, (which is also known as diaphragmatic breathing).
With Yoga now common in the western world, people report feeling calmer after doing it. Scientists have in turn, looked to the neurophysiology of yoga and meditation and they’ve noted that deep breathing techniques help reverse the effect of stress. Not all its techniques are relaxing. When inhalations are longer than exhalations, there is stimulation, which may be useful if you are preparing yourself for action. When exhalations are longer than inhalation, the effect is calming.
Effect of Deep breathing
In a state of stress, the sympathetic nervous system produces the ‘fight or flight’ response (with the stress hormones adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine). Too much of this can result in a major impact on the heart, the mind, the bones, the muscles and life expectancy. Deep breathing can reverse this, activating the parasympathetic nervous system – lowering blood pressure, and slowing down the heart rate. More oxygen is generated in the blood and there is a reduction in carbon dioxide.
Breathing also s
lows, which changes the dominant wave form. Brainwaves are electrical actions created by the firing of neurons. When recorded with EEG they are grouped according to frequency. Most of the time we are awake, Beta waves are dominant and allow us to focus on activities and think logically. However, too much functioning in Beta can have an impact on our health. The practice of pranayama enables the brain to function in Alpha and Theta states. The first of these is the range that bridges the conscious and unconscious mind. It has a relaxing and calming effect. The Theta state is that of deep relaxation, most normally experienced while asleep. To achieve this state while awake is possible but you will probably have to be an advanced meditator to achieve it.
Reducing Depression.
With so many people reporting that their doctor prescribed tablets aren’t helping, many are looking to alternative / natural methods. A recent study (December 2016) undertaken by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania split severely depressed volunteers into breathing and control groups. Both continued to take medication while the former practised deep breathing exercises in the time period. ,
At the end of the eight weeks, the control group showed negligible improvement while the breathing group participants had markedly improved on their initial score. Leader of the study, Anup Sharma indicated that the research is ongoing.
“The next step in this research is to conduct a larger study evaluating how this intervention impacts brain structure and function in patients who have major depression,” he said.
Studies have also shown the positive effects of deep breathing on anxiety annd PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).
Yoga and Pranayama are considered an essential part of Naturopathy and CAM therapy practice.
- Take a look at our Bsc Naturopathy and CAM therapy degree
- For info on our Bsc Psychology degree
