Physically
Our lungs & our breath play a huge role in our every day lives. Taking care of the breath & finding a balanced breath is very important to our overall wellbeing. There are three main parts to a healthy breath:

1. CO2 Tolerance – more CO2 in the blood allows the haemoglobin to release oxygen easier & blood vessels to expand warming hands & feet.
2. Movement – “Dysfunctional” breathing could be tightness in the diaphragm or accessory breathing muscles.
3. Frequency – We can train the nervous system so that when we aren’t doing the exercises we are breathing more optimally day & night!

Mind
The breath is directly linked to our emotions through our nervous system. 

1. CO2 Tolerance – holding your breath can be scary, we must remind ourselves we are safe & we are in control.
2. Movement – Pain, anxiety, fear are emotions that affect our breathing, when we have been in that state for a while that new way of breathing can become a new ‘bad’ habit.
3. Frequency – 12 to 20 breaths per minute but how could we possibly know without constantly thinking about it?

Soul
In yogic traditions your breath is your life force called Prana. In a yoga class we work with the breath through exercises called PranaYama. These include, Ujaii (noisy breath), Kapal Parti (breath of fire), Nadishodhana (alternate nostril breathing) & more. These breathing techniques are not only intended to do the mental & physical benefits from above but also to connect us to something bigger than ourselves. An example thought process might be… All beings breathe. Most of our atmosphere has come from trees. Plants inside & outside clean our air. How clean is our air inside? Outside? Can I do something to bring clean fresh air to everyone? Every being?

If you’d love to take a class on the breathwork / pranayama or healthy breathing head over to my membership site and check out the fourth class in my series Your Anatomy and Yoga.