In Through the Nose? How Breathing in Meditation Can Enhance Your Well-Being
“In through your nose, and out through your mouth.” Have you ever wondered why you hear this instruction in yoga class?
You may have heard some of the theories about why nasal breathing is beneficial. Some might say that it warms and filters the air. In truth, unless you are a smoker or have lung a lung condition, your lungs are beautifully designed to do just that, no matter how the air gets to them. I’ve even heard yoga practitioners go as far as saying that “breathing from the mouth is unsafe”, and that mouth breathing will raise your risk for maladies that range from diabetes to crooked teeth. Of course, none of that is true, otherwise we would all be in big trouble.
Our noses and mouths are both designed to breathe.
But nasal breathing does have some advantages over mouth breathing in a meditative practice. For one, it encourages you to slow down and control your respiration. By doing so, you may activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of the nervous system that slows down your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. Sometimes we call it the “rest and digest” system. Even one session may help people who deal with anxiety. That’s likely because when you reduce the body’s stress reaction, the mind will often follow.
AND research from Northwestern University has also shown that nasal breathing may affect specific areas in the brain.
These areas, known as the amygdala and hippocampus, are involved in processing information. Simply put, that means that nasal breathing might actually improve memory and processing of emotions.
Another study from Stanford concluded that breathwork, especially with longer exhalations, could improve mood even more than mindfulness mediation. In this study, the participants who got the most benefit practiced something called “Cyclic Sighing” for just five minutes each day. This cyclic kind of breathing involves taking a deep breath in, then inhaling just a little bit more before slowly and fully exhaling. The inhales are through the nose, and the exhales can be through the nose or mouth.
It’s best not to overthink it, but next time you feel a little stressed, consider taking a few minutes to slow down and breathe mindfully, in through the nose. And when you’re listening to a meditation or beginning your yoga practice, try using this form of breathing.