Learning to breathe

Abreathing seminar? Isn't breathing something we do naturally?

You would think. But medical research indicates that most of us actually are very poor breathers. We are shallow breathers and sporadic breath-holders -- especially when it accompanies those stressful moments when digging in our heels or gritting our teeth.

But on a recent Saturday afternoon, a variety of people entered a New Orleans yoga studio on a quest to breathe better.

Why would anyone go to such a class? As participants situated themselves on their mats, Jack Fontana, a "breathwork" instructor, asked participants that very question.

One student was there because her yoga instructor had suggested it; she was a shallow breather. Another had a recent cancer diagnosis; for her, breathing was a healing exercise. Another recently had experienced a significant life passage; attention to her breath, she felt, would help her through it.

"One of the most effective ways of improving the quality of our lives is to improve the quality of our breath," said Sean Johnson, founder of Wild Lotus Yoga Studio, where the workshop was held. Full-body breathing, he said, "oxygenates the blood, stimulates internal organs, relaxes the mind and awakens more life-energy."

Breathing is the core of meditation, the pranayama (or rhythmic breathing) applied to a yoga practice, the flow of energy in tai chi and the audible rhythm of a runner. Yet anyone from a 2-year-old in tantrum mode to a CEO facing a testy boardroom knows what it's like to hold on to it.

The average person takes in about two quarts of air with each breath while sitting at rest, said Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center pulmonologist Dr. Judd Shellito.

"This amount is about 11 percent of the maximal amount of air you can move in and out of your lungs with vigorous breathing," he said. "The amount of air you take in with each breath is tightly coupled to how much oxygen the body needs and how much carbon dioxide needs to be removed. Thus, in normal individuals there is no need to increase the amount of air you take in with each breath, as you will exceed what your body needs."

Doing so can create "symptoms of lightheadedness or cause someone to faint," Shellito said.

But breathing exercises that slow the rate of breathing or train people to take deeper breaths, he said, can promote relaxation and a sense of harmony.

When the inhalation and exhalation is continuous and connected, Fontana, a breathing trainer for more than 20 years, said even more happens.

During the hourlong class, participants engaged in connecting their inhalations and exhalations. No one seemed to be aware of the people on either side of them. It is not unusual for those practicing conscious connected breathing exercises to report moving through certain body memories that were traumatic in the past, but the continuous breathing keeps the person grounded.

"We often hold our breath because we do not want to be in the present," Fontana said. "But when holding one's breath, we also hold on to fear and anxiety, and it gets suppressed, layer upon layer. The purpose of breathwork is that it relieves suppression. ... The body remembers because much is stored in cellular memory."

Breathing, he said, is a way of accepting. The outcome is relaxation. "With the inhale, we welcome a fresh moment. With the exhale, we let go. It's a cycle of embracing and letting go," Johnson said.

For Green, the conclusion of the workshop marked a state of relaxation for her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself "very much in the moment."

She said she has applied that experience to her daily life.