Lesson

Rhythmic Breathing

Rhythmic Breathing

Nature’s display of rhythms surrounds us every moment of every day. Whether it’s the ebb and flow of the waves as the sea greets the land, the rise and fall of the tides, or the opening and closing of flowers… reflect for a moment, and notice how these are all naturally occurring rhythms.

When we align our breath to a consistent rhythm we feel a natural coherence and sometimes a deeper connectedness to our surroundings.  

Yogi Ramacharaka, in his acclaimed book, “The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath” (Ramacharaka, 1903), talks extensively about how and why rhythmic breathing is the secret to attaining physical, spiritual, and even psychic mastery according to the master Yogis in India.

The easiest way to ensure you begin to breathe with rhythm is to eliminate the pause between each breath with consistent timing. It is often this pause that creates irregular breathing patterns that leads to incoherent HRV patterns. Keeping your breath smooth, connected, and “circular” with no pause is the foundation for effective rhythmic breathing.

A rhythmic breathing practice teaches us to breathe correctly in preparation for the higher practices of breath holding.

Subtle, Silent breathing, without noise

When your breath is subtle and silent it means you are not breathing large volumes of air. Noisy and heavy breathing is a sign of harmful hyperventilation and over breathing. 

Subtle and silent breathing also means you have good oxygen efficiency and carbon dioxide tolerance which is necessary for optimum health.

Smooth breathing, without jerkiness

Jerky and jittery breathing causes irregular heart rhythms that can directly cause your heart rhythms and blood flow to also become irregular. Smooth breathing leads to heart coherence that has numerous health benefits.