The breath and mind connection

“Where the breath goes, your mind goes.”

This sentence was shared by my yoga therapy teachers and has absolutely transformed the way I look at the therapeutic process; at life in general; myself as a person and as a mental health professional. Have you noticed what happens to your breathing pattern when you experience strong emotion? The emotion can range from joy, happiness, or excitement to sadness, anger, disappointment. Is it faster? Is it more shallow? Is it just different and difficult to label the change in the pattern?

Breath is something we often take for granted, as it has been with us from the first moment we arrive in this world. We don’t often think about breathing, unless something in our environment changes, and forces us to notice that we breathe. 

Breathing techniques are just one part of the whole yoga system, and these techniques are called Pranayama in Sanskrit (consist of two words: Prana = vitality that is infinitely everywhere, Ayama = to stretch, to extend). I often explain to clients that the breath consists of four different parts - inhale; a pause after the inhalation; exhale; and a pause after the exhalation.

By making adjustments and changes to any of these components of breathing, we can achieve greater self-awareness. It is the gateway to self-regulating our often distressed nervous system. Our state of mind is very closely linked to the quality of breathing and our thought processes can change when we focus on different techniques. 

So whenever you find yourself ungrounded, distressed or if you feel that it is difficult to focus, take a deep breath in, and looooong exhale..and see what happens…

Simona Cudlman- Mental Health Social Worker and Yoga therapist