The following is an introduction to a few of the deeper aspects of breath control that many elders and masters have kept secret through oral traditions.
The importance of the Breath is immediately clear to anyone who begins a disciplined study of the healing arts, martial arts and endurance training.
The importance of the Breath should be clear to anyone who thinks for a few moments about the fact that a human can go several days to weeks without food and even several days without water. But most humans can go no longer than a few minutes without “breathing air” before normal function begins to cease and permanent damage to the body begins.
Anytime we exert the body to any degree above the normal resting state, there is an automatic, involuntary increase in the rate and depth of breathing. In fact, even when a person experiences the sudden onset of fear, the body immediately prepares for fight or flight (escape) by immediately increasing the rate and depth of breathing.
Interestingly, the ability to voluntarily control certain physical or psychological functions of the body starts with the ability to control the breath. For example, a real life demonstration is the effect of slowing and deepening the breath while placing one’s attention on a particular energy center of the body. When one uses this breath control and placement of attention, the person becomes increasingly heavy and difficult to lift, no matter their normal weight. This same breath and focus technique can be used to “ground” oneself when feeling anxious or unsettled.
In the martial arts, proper technique cannot be accomplished unless the student is taught how to coordinate the breath with body movement. Otherwise, the technique is much weaker and much less effective than could be accomplished with correct breathing.
During endurance training, we are limited by our inability to maintain strength, speed and flexibility most often because of oxygen deficit, although the actual mechanisms of fatigue are likely much more complicated. In any case, it is through the correct or incorrect breathing that these “complicated mechanisms” take place.
Because the body can automatically and involuntarily change the rate and depth of breath when necessary, we can surmise that your body “knows how to breathe” without being taught.
Therefore, the first step toward “re-learning” endurance breathing is re-learning to relax. One must be able to relax the muscles in the shoulders, back, rib cage and abdomen in order to take an efficient deep breath. By efficient, I mean a breath that allows adequate exchange of oxygen and “waste gases,” one of which is carbon dioxide. Relaxing these muscles also allows the diaphragm to relax, which is the primary “breathing muscle.”
An example of what happens when one does not relax occurs when trying to give a demonstration of a physical exercise in front of a crowd of people. For instance, anyone who has learned a dance, martial art technique or similar physical exercise has experienced what happens when performing in front of a crowd. The person is much more breathless and easily fatigued afterward, no matter how well the person is physically conditioned. This occurs because the person is self conscious and anxious and therefore tense. The tension in the “breathing muscles” mentioned earlier prevents the person from adequately increasing the rate and depth of breathing.
This also occurs frequently in runners during their “kick” at the end of a race. The runner is fatigued but also feeling excitement about giving “her all” the last few meters or miles of the race, depending on the length of the race. When the kick starts, the runner starts “pumping” her arms and legs but all-too-often also tenses her arm and leg muscles along with tensing the muscles of the shoulders, back, ribs and abdomen. Not being able to adequately increase the rate and depth of her breathing greatly reduces her speed and endurance when she needs it most.
When the body and mind are relaxed, the body is better able to do what it already knows how to do, in this case, breathing.
The easiest way to learn to relax your “breathing muscles” is to just do it!! Start with your favorite aerobic exercise. It doesn’t matter if it’s pushups, jumping rope, dancing or running. My personal favorite is a hill sprint at the end of my run. No matter how many miles I run on a particular day, I end with a hill sprint. (Actually, I have no choice because we live on top of a hill. Perfect!) This hill is perfect because the steepness (percent grade) increases as I proceed up the hill. So, my task is to keep my arms, legs and “breathing muscles” as relaxed as possible no matter how tired and how much oxygen deficit I am feeling.
It is a very satisfying feeling at the end of your workout when you have accomplished a decent amount of relaxation throughout the workout, knowing you performed better and recovered more quickly.
Keep in mind this article provides a first step toward developing the Endurance Breath, but this first step is probably the most important to master. This will allow you to develop true abdominal breathing.
A coach or instructor familiar with the Endurance Breath will be able to provide detailed instructions on drills that will teach your mind and body to relax in spite of fatigue and oxygen deficit. This will allow you to have dramatically improved endurance during your aerobic training and also during any real-life situations that demands stamina and endurance.
A final note: Developing stamina and endurance is a process. You will notice much improvement after 1 week, even more improvement after 1 month, dramatically more improvement after 1 year, and so on.
Enjoy!
DJC
Daniel has been a practicing physician for more than 20 years, a devoted martial arts student for more than 18 years and a “fitness enthusiast” for more than 35 years.
