The importance of breathing through the nose.
As air enters the nose larger dust particles are filtered out by the hairs in the nostrils. The air passes through the nose where there is a large area of moist mucus membrane. This helps to humidify and warm the air to body temperature, this is important for easier absorption. When air reaches the pharynx it passes through a region of lymphoid tissue in a ring around the back of the nose and throat. This lymphoid tissue removes bacteria and viruses from air that has been inhaled. These particles and pollutants could cause infection and irritation if they got into the lungs. The mucus is the body’s first line of defence.
Breathing through the nostrils helps to reduce the risk of irritation in the lungs.
The difference between mouth and nose breathing.
Mouth breathing changes the physical body and transforms airways not in a good way. By causing the soft tissues in the back of the mouth to become loose and flex inward, mouth breathing creates less overall space at the back of the mouth which means breathing becomes more difficult, this then reinforces more mouth breathing. Regular mouth breathing can cause bad breath with bacteria building up around the teeth.
Nostril breathing forces air against all tissues at the back of the throat, making the airways wider and breathing easier, these tissues and muscles get ‘toned’ to stay in this opened and wide position. Hence nasal breathing reinforces more nasal breathing. Keeping the nose constantly in use trains the tissues inside the nasal cavity and throat to flex and stay open.
Looking deeper into nostril breathing
It is scientifically accepted that nostrils pulse and the air taken in can alternate from one nostril to the other. Nasal cycles are influenced by need, and throughout the day they will automatically alternate.
The right nostril is a gas pedal. Whilst inhaling through the right your circulation speeds up, your body gets hot and cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate all increase. Breathing through the right nostril activates the sympathetic nervous system, it puts the body in a more elevated state of alertness and readiness.
The left nostril is a kind of brake system. It is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and relax.
Our bodies operate most efficiently in a state of balance, this balance can be influenced by the nasal cycle, when nostril breathing is established as the regular method of breathing, the nasal cycle will automatically kick in.
How you breathe and the quality of the breath
It is important to get the right level of balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. Every healthy cell in the body is fuelled by oxygen.
The most important point to hold whilst working with breathing exercises is to maintain what is comfortable for you as an individual. Forcing the breath into a pattern that you feel it should be in is not the way forward.
The recommended aim for good breathing practice is 5.5 breaths per minute, but this may need to be worked up to gradually. The ratio of in to out breath is count of 4 in and count of 6 out, but always keep it in a comfortable zone and build up, and you may find it will vary from day to day and also from what time of day you do your breathing practice. To work with a focus on the breath for 10 minutes daily can help to reset stress levels. Good breathing techniques can have a significant effect on how you feel.
A plan to get started with a breathing practice.
1) Begin with sitting or lying comfortably and just focus on the breath, to keep your focus from wandering you can apply a counting of the inhale and exhale, just observe and count. After a while just make a mental note of how you feel and if the breath changed pattern at all in your observations. You could set a timer for 10 minutes.
2) Viloma breathing could be tried next, divide the inhalations into three, like three little sips of air, the breath does not have to be taken in to its full capacity, and then a long slow exhale. You might notice that there is a natural pause at the end of the out breath. Again you could continue for 10 minutes or let the breath fall back into breathing practice 1 at any point that you feel the need. Follow the instincts.
3) Alternate nostril breathing. This may need to be done physically to begin with but once you are comfortable with it you could just use focus to alternate between the nostrils. From a seated position gently close the right nostril with gentle pressure applied from a finger, inhale and exhale slowly 3 times through the left nostril. Then change nostrils and repeat. Continue for a few breaths and then return to breathing practice 1. When you are confident without the physical closing you can do this either seated or lying down.
