Breath a commentary by Jill Davidson

Breath 

by Jill Davidson

Deep Breath by Melanie Weidner 2005

Somewhere back in 1987, i found myself sitting in my very first “hatha” yoga class.  It was there – Amherst, Massachusetts, that i was introduced to the concept of breathing through the entire nasal passage, but the instructor didn’t use these words.  i think the words more described the sensation of what happens when you do this type of breathing and i was told –and believe– that certain practitioners of the technique can channel and circulate the air into one side of the skull and out the other after circulation through the lung.
Then, around 1994, i found myself taking “rain runs” through Shotgun Creek with my old friend Freya.  Having learned the importance of breath, i noticed the rhythmic chant-like sounds with the expansion and contraction of the chest and couldn’t help but think of the “native” chants, because quite simply, i seemed to be doing just that – chanting.  I had a 3:4 ratio of mini breaths per intake/outtake.  But, i never really thought about it or utilized the information until i started practicing martial arts and yoga studios started popping up everywhere. Along with the studios came the mystification and dogma surrounding how and when to breath and what correct pose you’d have to be in to maximize your focus and awareness.  It’s the same type of dogma surrounding the martial arts, and good instructors help you to separate the dogma from the basic truths of nature.
And breathing is all about nature.  And if you are nervous –socially or physically– it is virtually impossible to breath correctly.  I suppose the good news is that focusing on the breath can reduce this anxiety… probably by the mere fact that you are distracting your brain  –and good luck with that as you confront your fears.  Because, whether it is confronting a crowd, handling your temper, or getting through a “face your fear” moment centering with breath is a time-tested, tried and true method for focus, clarity and centeredness.  So, you might as well learn this early in your practice.
I remember clearly on the Muay Thai mat almost killing my instructor as he tried to get me to “voice” the exertion of kicks and punches.   This is a basic technique to say a word or a sound with a certain motion to develop this breath awareness.  Eventually you personalize this word so that it is your very own.  But, the early days of NWMA were days of teacher/ student learning of understanding the basics of what it means to be a novice and what it means to be an expert.  And although i was mad at the time i also remember this same instructor telling me one thing that brought me back to those runs in the woods and closer to understanding personal health.  He told me this: find your own rhythm and your own breath and he helped me to do this –along with everyone else at the gym.  He explained a basic truth.  Every person has a natural rhythm; perhaps it ties to the beating of the heart.  You can see this rhythm with the elders who are in thought and the little ones who are centering.  As adults we lose this connection and so must seek to find it amidst our strength and steadiness.
So, i’m passing on what I’ve experienced to my cerebral, literary friends.  It can be mystic, but it is not mysticism – your body movements expand and contract your rib cage and all those little muscles help to control the entire range of breath from the bottom of your pelvis to the top of your sternum.  If your are with total passion that punch is going to come with a very loud, an almost shocking noise, and if you are in practice with rhythm and motion, a natural animal sound is going to come out, and if you are at rest… it’s kind of like listening to an ocean shell.
You won’t really hear it from me at the gym because I just can’t relax around all the people and prefer the inner voice to the outer with this art, but you will hear the natural sounds of bodies in sync from the athletes in training who are comfortable in their skin.  It’s kind of funny sounding and can be scary when you hear from the big boys but it’s a sure sign that we are alive.