Effective Breathing Exercises and Techniques for All & Especially for COPD Patients

Hello Readers,

Greetings & Best Wishes to you all.

Welcome to my website. On this page, I will mainly be sending out my blogs and other write-ups. I was asked about the categories that should be mentioned on my page. My answer was ‘No Categories’, I just want to write. So the gentleman helping me with the web page went and wrote “No Categories’.  That did not sound right.  So I had to get it changed to ‘All Categories’ meaning I am free to write exactly what I want to write about. 

So here is my first blog. I intend to publish as many as I can…hopefully, many more will follow.

I sincerely hope that you will like my work. Your comments and likes will be most appreciated. Please share with as many of your friends and acquaintances as you can. 

Here we go…..

As an experiment let us hold our breath for a few seconds. With normal spontaneous breathing, exhale and hold it there. After about a minute…..How did that feel? Did you feel like you could have done it much longer? Well, the truth is, if we had to hold our breath for another two-and-a-half to three minutes, most of us, unfortunately, would be dead…

On average, the human body can go about three weeks without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without air. It surprises me that when we try to improve our health, as most of us are doing perpetually on some level, we typically go first to the thing that we can go the longest without, which is food. We adopt all kinds of suggested dietary regimens and even drink ‘pure’ water 6 or 7 times a day to flush out the various toxins that have supposedly been collected in our bodies. But we never think to start with something which happens to be the first activity we undertake at birth, and without which we can’t go comfortably for even one minute, something that we do almost 23,000 – 25,000 times a day. Breathing. 

A proper diet and hydrating oneself with pure water are good and essential. In no way am I putting them down. But my experience has taught me that if we’re breathing sub-optimally, dysfunctionally, or flat-out wrong, it’s almost impossible for our bodies to reap all the benefits from even the best diet, the best hydration, or exercise program.  And I have some bad news: we’re almost all guilty. I’d go as far as to say that dysfunctional breathing is the respiratory equivalent of eating fast food/junk food, not once or twice, but 25,000 times a day.

I am talking from my personal experiences. I have been a patient of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, COPD for short, since 1995. The doctors and pulmonologists then told me that there doesn’t exist a cure for COPD and for the rest of my life, I will have to use inhalers and other pharmaceuticals to keep going. And I believed them. I am afraid that most of us who are suffering from any kind of disease/illness play into the hands of doctors and believe every word they say. 

{More on COPD in another write up}

Breathing, Breath & Modern Medicine

The one thing that stays with you is your breath.

All your friends, your family, the country you live in, all of that can change.”

“When you get stressed—what changes? 

Your breath. 

When you get angry—what changes? 

Your breath. 

We experience every emotion with a change of breath.

When you learn to navigate and manage your breath, you can navigate any situation in life.”

Breathe the moments !!

Inhale the beauty…

Exhale with Gratitude.

To understand this intimate and most basic function, I talked to doctors about the latest research in pulmonology; the medical discipline that deals with the lungs & respiratory tract. I also perused some ancient texts on breathing and discovered that our ancients had studied and noted widely about breath and breathing. It appears as though modern medical science is now picking up clues from these texts. So far there is, no study to verify or dispute those ancient texts and very little that is accepted, documented, and recorded by modern research.

Also what I discovered was that modern medicine has ignored this very important body function even though the first thing we do as soon as we are born is inhale. Doctors trained in Western Medicine have little knowledge about the significance, importance, and workings of our breath and the process of breathing. For today’s doctors & pulmonologists, breathing technique isn’t important. For them, the frequency of one’s breathing, through the nose or mouth or even a breathing tube, is all the same.  

Therefore it is easy to see why breath & breathing are not considered as significant, and important parameters of our well-being. During a medical check-up, we are never checked for our respiratory rate. The balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in our bloodstream is never checked. Nobody bothers with how we breathe and the quality of each breath. So much so that the nose is of very little value in their scheme of things.

There is a gap in our knowledge about the science of breathing and its role in our bodies. Modern science it seems has done a good job of examining what causes breathing problems but done little to explore how they first develop and how we might prevent them. 

The worldwide annual market for asthma & breath-related therapies is estimated to be around $29 billion and is growing rapidly. The drugs work well enough to give the patients a false sense of a cure. But drugs, particularly oral steroids have some seriously harmful side effects after some years of regular use. These can take the form of deteriorating lung function, worsened asthma symptoms, blindness, and an increased threat of untimely death. 

Ancient Texts

Vedic and later Hindu religions define breath and spirit as the same entity and call it ‘Parana’; thus came ‘Pranayam’ wherein are described elaborate practices meant to balance breathing and control the life force to preserve physical and mental health. The practice of Pranayama dates back to ancient India and the origins of yoga are said to be around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE. Pranayama is mentioned in early yoga texts such as The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Several books of the Chinese Tao dating back to around 4OO BCE focused entirely on breathing. These texts contained detailed instructions on regulating the breath, slowing it, holding it, and swallowing it. Then there were the Buddhists who used breathing to lengthen their lives, heat their bodies to stay alive in sub-zero temperatures, and even reach planes of higher consciousness. 

Breathing for all these ancient cultures was not only a sustainer but also a powerful healing tool.

Of The ‘Unofficial Researchers’ & ‘The Pseudo Scientists’. 

If modern medicine did not have much to offer, I could not make much of the ancient texts either. Precise translations and explanations are hard to find. Of course, I found a lot of praise for Pranayama, and even the techniques were listed widely.  But nothing about their workings and how these techniques affect the body. Most importantly what or which is the ideal state of breathing!?!

However, something else that I found amazed me. Like me, many experimented with their breathing and found remedies for their breathing issues.  Some of them recorded their findings and those are available.

Over the last two centuries, various breathing techniques have been initiated by individuals who thought differently and away from the accepted norm…individuals who were not afraid to be called pseudo-scientists. Many of these individuals tried and succeeded in their attempts to breathe better with their breathing techniques. 

Here is a small list of just a few texts that I read and studied: 

> Breath by James Nestor. This is a very well-written and compiled book.  

>Tummo Breathing: is also known as Inner Fire Meditation 

>Benson’s research on Tummo Breathing. 

>Hof’s athletic feats and his breathing method. 

>Buteyko’s techniques 

>Holotropic Breathwork. 

>How Swami Rama, by sheer mastery over breathing and thus mastery over his immune system, astonished scientists who conducted tests on him at a lab in the US. 

>Professors Patricia Gerbarg and Richard Brown’s experiments with ‘Resonant Breathing’

>The record-breaking athletic performances; made possible solely by improved breathing techniques.

I watched videos of freedivers and deep-sea divers -men & women- diving in the sea, going to great depths, and coming up after an unimaginable long period.  They had trained their body to go without air for long periods at a time and dive down to depths that scientists thought impossible.

I also came across stories about how some deep-sea divers had trained to breathe in ways that expanded the size of their lungs by 30% or more. I heard interviews where the divers said, “Each way we breathe will affect our bodies in different ways”. Another said that some methods of breathing will nourish our brains, while others will kill our neurons; some will make us healthy, while others will fasten our death. 

Therefore, he who nourishes his life refines the form and nourishes his breath. 

These ‘unofficial researchers’ were also successful in demonstrating that many modern maladies like asthma, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, psoriasis, stress, and more could either be reduced or reversed simply by changing the way we inhale & exhale.

This work of theirs threw into disarray the long-held beliefs in western medical science which called such work pseudoscience.

However, personally speaking, I was fascinated to know of people who reversed autoimmune diseases and others who healed from incurable conditions like scoliosis, where the spine curves sideways. 

A shining example of self-taught corrective breathing is the remarkable journey of Katharina Schroth. Born in Germany in the late 1800s, Katharina Schroth had scoliosis that was unsuccessfully treated with bracing. Doctors had written her off as someone who would be in a wheelchair for life. She developed her breathing technique and exercises to manage her scoliosis and she trained herself to breathe right.  After several years of this practice, she “breathed her spine straight again”. She went on to open a rehabilitation center for scoliosis patients in Germany and helped hundreds. Now, the Schroth Method for scoliosis is offered as physical therapy at Johns Hopkins University in the US.

In rare cases, besides Katharina Schroth, who breathed her spine straight, few have used breathing to blunt autoimmune diseases and superheat themselves in sub-zero temperatures. These are some of the many unbelievable feats performed by a few just by controlling their breaths. All these sound bizarre and nuts and yet they are facts. And according to modern science, these were impossible to accomplish.

These individuals, most of whom were not considered scientists have contributed immensely to the study of breath & breathing. Their work is praiseworthy and inspirational. It merits recognition.

Though not much has been formally recorded, this research by non-scientists has discovered  that:

1}. 90% of us very likely you, are and almost everyone you know is breathing incorrectly, and

2}. This failure is either causing or aggravating a laundry list of chronic diseases.

We breathe around 23,000 to 25,000 times every day. And we do it wrong. For me, this breathing wrong is akin to eating junk food. You can well imagine the toll it takes on our bodies.

Breathing is so much more than just getting air into our bodies. It is the most intimate connection to our surroundings. 

>Breathing in different patterns can influence our body weight & overall health. 

>How we breathe does affect the size & function of our lungs.

>Breath allows us to hack into our nervous system, control our immune response and restore our health.

>Changing how we breathe will help us live longer.

‘What we eat, how much we exercise, how strong & resistant our genes are, or how we appear – all fade away in assuring any health benefits unless we breathe correctly. This is what these researchers discovered.’ 

The missing pillar in health is breath-where it all begins. 

The Anatomy of Breath

Around 2000 gallons OR more than 7500 liters of blood flows through our arteries and veins, every single day, at an average of one full circuit per minute. Regularity & consistency of this blood flow is essential to deliver fresh oxygenated blood to cells, remove waste, and keep us healthy and normal.

Much of the speed & strength of this circulation is influenced by the thoracic pump which builds pressure inside the chest. When we breathe with an inhalation, negative pressure draws blood into the heart, and with an exhalation, blood is pumped back into the body and lungs for a round of recirculation.

The thoracic pump is powered by our diaphragm. The diaphragm is the muscle right beneath the lungs, shaped like an umbrella. 

When we exhale the diaphragm rises. This rise shrinks the lungs and then it drops down where the lungs expand and allow inhalation. This up & down movement occurs within us around 45,000 to 50,000 times every single day.

Why do I need to learn how to breathe? I’ve been breathing my whole life.

We assume at our peril that breathing is a passive activity. It is something we do; breathe, live, stop breathing, die. However, breathing is much more than just getting air into our bodies. It’s the most intimate connection to our surroundings.  

Breathing techniques entailing inhalation, exhalation & holding the breath, all done at various speeds, have been practiced for thousands of years. But modern medicine has learned only recently how breath can reduce blood pressure, boost athletic performance, and balance the nervous system. 

To breathe is to absorb ourselves in what surrounds us, to take in little bits of life, understand them, and give pieces of ourselves back out. Respiration is, at its core, reciprocation. Proper respiration can also lead to restoration.

The Need to Learn Proper Breathing

A typical adult engages barely 10% of the range of the diaphragm when breathing. This in turn overburdens the heart, elevates blood pressure, and causes a myriad of circulatory problems. Engaging even 50% to 70% of the diaphragm range capacity will ease cardiovascular stress. It is for this reason that the diaphragm is sometimes called the ‘second heart’ because it not only beats to its own rhythm but also affects the rate and strength of the heartbeat.

How Come I Survived So Far?

Learning to breathe properly in any way is not really necessary. Our bodies can survive on short clipped breaths for decades, and many of us do. That doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Over time, rapid, and shallow breathing limits the range of our diaphragm & lung capacity. This breathing habit mostly goes unnoticed, but causes a low-grade form of hyperventilation, upsetting the oxygen and C02 balance.

On the other hand, when the respiratory & circulatory systems enter a state of equilibrium when the amount of air that enters us equals the amount that leaves, our bodies perform all their essential functions with the least exertion and stress.

The best way to prevent many chronic health problems, improve athletic performance, and extend longevity is to focus on how we breathe, specifically to balance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body. To do this, we need to learn how to inhale & exhale rhythmically. 

The Perfect Breathing Pattern.

It has been observed that the most efficient breathing rhythm occurs when both the length of respiration & total breaths per minute is sort of locked in symmetry and the figure of 5.5 appears magically. 5.5 second inhales followed by 5.5 seconds exhales and that turns out to be 5.5 breaths per minute – 60 seconds. 

There is a very interesting story on how this figure of 5.5 was arrived at. 

The backdrop:

Not alarmingly it starts with ‘prayers’. When Tibetan monks chant their most popular mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, each chanted phrase lasts 6 seconds with six seconds to inhale before the chant starts again. The traditional chant of AUM i.e. Om used by Hindus and other traditions takes six seconds to sing with a pause of about six seconds to inhale. Japanese, African, Hawaiian, Native American, Buddhist, Taoists, Christian –all these cultures and religions had somehow arrived at the same prayer techniques, requiring the same breathing patterns, and surely all benefitted from its calming effect.

5.5 breaths a minute.

Then in 2001 researchers at the University of Pavia in Italy experimented. They gathered two dozen subjects and covered them with sensors to measure blood flow, heart rate, and nervous system feedback. Then they had them recite a Buddhist mantra as well as the original Latin version of the rosary, the catholic prayer cycle of the Ave Maria which is repeated half by a priest and half by the congregation. 

Stunningly they found that the average number of breaths for each cycle was almost identical Just a slight bit quicker than the pace of the Tibetan,  Hindu, Taoist, and Native American prayers; 5.5 breaths a minute.

When breathing spontaneously at a normal rate, our lungs absorb only a quarter of the available oxygen in the air. The majority of that oxygen is exhaled back out. By taking longer breaths we allow our lungs to soak up more in fewer breaths. 

Thus it goes to reason that if, with training and practice we can perform the same exercise workload with 14 breaths per minute instead of say 47 using the conventional, what would anyone choose? Obviously the option with a lesser number of breaths. And when we see ourselves running faster every day, with a stable breath rate……we will begin to feel the true meaning of the word fitness.

Breathing is like rowing a boat: short & stilted strokes will get us where we are going, but they pale in comparison to the efficiency & speed of fewer longer strokes.

The Beneficial Effects

Breathing like this {at 5.5 breaths per minute} has some very amazing and stunning effects. Whenever individuals followed this slow breathing pattern, blood flow to the brain increases and the systems in the body entered a state of coherence; the function of the heart, circulation & nervous system are coordinated to peak efficiency. The moment the individuals returned to spontaneous breathing or even talking, their hearts would beat a little more erratically and the integration of these systems would slowly crash. A few more relaxed breaths and it would return. 

Using The 5.5 Breaths Per Minute Breathing Pattern

After a decade of the Pavia experiment, two renowned professors and doctors in New York, Patricia Gerbarg and Richard Brown used the same breathing pattern on patients with anxiety and depression, minus the praying. Some of these patients had trouble breathing slowly, so Gerbarg & Brown recommended an easier rhythm of three-second inhales with at least the same length of exhales. 

As the patients got more comfortable, they breathed in and breathed out longer. 

Gerbarg and Brown later wrote books and even published several scientific papers about the restorative power of slow breathing which would become known as ‘Resonant Breathing’ or ‘Coherent Breathing’. The technique doesn’t need much effort, time, or thought fullness. It can be done anytime & anywhere; a private affair.

       Prayer heals, especially when practiced at 5.5 breaths a minute.

To be continued…..Watch out for my next tranche on this topic.

 

Author:- Ranjan “Jim” Chadha – a peripatetic mind, forever wandering the digital universe, in search & appreciation of peace, freedom, and happiness. So tune in, turn on, but don’t drop out just yet!