The Lost Art of Breathing
In the 1800s a researcher and artist named George Catlin spent many years documenting the lives of 50 Native American tribes and indigenous cultures in the Andes, Argentina and Brazil.
What he found with all of them was that none of them got sick. And they all followed a practice from birth that was as ‘old and unchangeable as their hills’.
Their great secret of life? Learning the lost art of breathing which they were taught from birth.
Most of us know that each inhale provides us with new energy, and each exhale releases old energy, but did you know that there are as many ways to breathe as there are foods to eat? For example, when you are inhaling mainly through the right nostril, your body gets hotter, circulation speeds up and blood pressure increases – activating fight or flight. Breathing primarily through the left meanwhile lowers blood pressure and anxiety.
When I teach people how to meditate, breathwork is the starting point. Alternate nostril breathing is part of yogic practice and there are dozens of different techniques – including learning how to breathe before and after meals to aid digestion, and which breath techniques to do to activate focus.
For thousands of years and throughout many ancient cultures, the art of breathing has been known as ‘the silent warrior and the gatekeeper to our bodies’ – and one of the most important pillars of health. If you make one new resolution this year, make it to be more present in how you do this one simple task.
