Yep, we really do need to learn how to breathe

Our breath starts flowing the moment we are born and stays with us for our whole life. You could say it connects us to the world. But although our breath is a constant presence, it is not static. The breath is change-able in nature: like a sympathetic friend it tries to do what is needed to support us, such as speeding up when we exercise.

What we sometimes don't appreciate is that the way we breathe affects our mind. For example, rapid thoracic (chest) breathing subtly encourages sympathetic nervous system activity. This is the part of the nervous system associated with the fight-or-flight response: higher blood pressure, faster heart rate, readiness for battle. This is all well and good if we need to run or fight, but quite often our bodies seem to get into this state when we're stuck in traffic, annoyed with our partner or doing nothing in particular. If we're feeling uptight or frenzied, then learning to switch from rapid thoracic to slower abdominal breathing will be a real help.

And we can learn to make this switch. Managing our breath is a skill that can be learnt like any other, and yoga has a systematic way of teaching it. But it takes time. Just as no one would try to learn to swim in a rough ocean, there is no point trying to learn to do slow, deep breathing when you're feeling anxious or stressed. So yoga starts with postures (asana) that make us aware of the breath without being solely focussed on it. Asana encourage us to put our minds on what our bodies are doing. They train us to relax our abdominal muscles and open our chests.

After asana comes the breathing part of a GY yoga class. There is no pressure to breathe slowly and deeply at first. (Trying to breathe slowly and deeply straight up can sometimes make people feel more anxious.) Initially we simply become aware of our breath. Then we move onto allowing the abdominal muscles to relax so that our diaphragm can freely move down during inhalation: this is deep abdominal breathing. Later we learn to lengthen the exhalation: this strengthens the action of the vagus nerve, which has a subtly restful effect on many of the body's systems. So relaxation comes naturally and physiologically - there is no pressure. And eventually this skill can be used in our daily life to help us stay calm and grounded.