therapeutic breathwork:

The Breath of Health and Happiness

Jim Morningstar

The Importance of Breath

To breathe is to live. How we breathe has a most profound influence on the quality of our life. Breathing correctly is the key to living fully. Most Westerners suffer from chronic improper breathing habits that are not immediately obvious. We breathe about 7 million breaths a year and the long-term effects of poor breathing are cumulative. They reduce not only the quality of vitality in our daily experience, but can lead to a weakening of our entire system and serious health issues. We can take health for granted until we encounter serious problems. It has been estimated that 60% of all emergency transports in larger American cities involve hyperventilation or other breath-related disorders (Fried, 1990) Research suggests that 10-25% of the US population suffers from breath-related illness every year. Improper breathing weakens and disharmonizes almost every major system in our bodies and makes us more susceptible to chronic and acute diseases of all kinds: infections, constipation, respiratory illness, digestive problems, ulcers, depression, sexual disorders, sleep disorders, fatigue, headaches, poor blood circulation and premature aging. Many researchers believe bad breathing contributes to cancer and heart disease. Proper breathing can keep the systems of the body functioning in harmony, signal us about imbalances in our energy and help us correct them, and thereby be a perfect companion on route to our health and happiness.

Though in all cultures throughout history breath has been held as the most important factor in physical health as well as emotional stability and  spiritual development, it receives little or no attention in our educational system, including medical training (Minett, 2005). Proper breath training requires qualities in which modern Westerners are underdeveloped: focused attention, relaxation, internal awareness and perseverance. Even healthy people often breathe only about a third of the oxygen they need to function optimally. The air we breathe is about five times larger by volume than that of the food we ingest and the liquid we drink. On the other side, 70% of the body’s waste products are eliminated through the lungs, 30% through urine, feces and skin. 

We Can Change How We Breathe

We can change the quantity and quality of how we breathe. Dennis Lewis (1997) trains people in 6-12 months to increase the range of their diaphragms 2 to 3 times their capacities. But it is not just the amount of air we breathe that affects us. It is the balance in our breathing that determines whether our breath is giving us the correct proportions of oxygen and carbon dioxide to maximize the nurturance of our bodies. Researcher Peter Litchfield (2003) notes that breathing regulates the pH balance of our body. I was amazed in working with Peter this summer how within a few deregulated breaths the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance of my breathing was altered. He notes that deregulated breathing has a dramatic and profound effect on health and performance. In fact, most Americans do a type of “over-breathing” because of chronic tension in their breathing mechanism and attitudes in their minds. They develop a wrong combination of breathing rate and depth. The cure is not as simple as “relaxation” or “breathing more.” Coming back to harmony with one’s body and listening to find the right breath for the right activity is an eminently learnable skill. First we must recognize there is something to correct, then have the willingness to do something about it.

In the following months I will share information on types and techniques of breathing, addressing specific health issues like asthma, anxiety and depression; and explore the realms of spiritual growth and mastery. Since I intend this series of articles to be instructive and practical, I will suggest a practice each time that will lead to the goal of health and happiness through breath mastery.

Therapeutic Breathwork Exercise #1:

For 5 minutes a day (over the next month) simply observe how you breathe. It may be helpful in the beginning to find a quite space in which to do this. But also try it in other locations and notice the differences. For extra credit: Make written notes of your observations about your breathing. These notes will be valuable in future work. 

Jim Morningstar, Ph.D. is director of Transformations Incorporated, the School of Spiritual Psychology, the Transformations Breathworker Training Program and Continuing Education for Professionals in Milwaukee, WI <info@transformationsusa.com> and <www.transformationsusa.com>. He is also co-coordinator of the International Breathwork Training Alliance < www.breathworkalliance.org>.