It is true that our breath can be deeply connected to our emotions. When we’re stressed or anxious, our breath becomes shallow and rapid. Conversely, just like that, when we’re calm and relaxed, our breath is slow and deep. This relationship goes both ways – our emotions can influence our breath, and our breath can influence our emotions too. The latter is even more true, especially for an average person involved in life as we know it.
Our breath is a powerful yet often overlooked tool that mirrors our many emotional states. Each emotion we experience—whether joy, anger, sadness, or fear—has a corresponding breathing pattern.
The act of becoming observant and witnessing our breath involves looking into its rhythm, depth, and width. This observation develops an awareness in understanding how our breath is (quality and quantity). Extended observations and practices in breathing gives us deeper awareness of the profound relationship and bond between our body, mind and emotions.
Emotions such as anger might leave us gasping for air, Fear can constrict our chest making inhalations a struggle like some weight pressing down upon us. Joy and happiness may allow us to breathe easily and perhaps deeply and effortlessly even. Yet, how often do we truly observe these subtle nuances? How often do we even pause to acknowledge the intricate relation between our breath and our emotion? We rush through our days, months and years unaware of the deep impact our breath can have on our well-being.
Practice to improve the relationship between breath and emotion.
The practice of breath control, known as Pranayama, empowers us to manage our emotions more effectively. Instead of being swept away by an emotional reaction, we learn to pause, observe, and adjust our breath to eliminate the reaction and act in the right state of mind. This is how an intelligent relationship between our mind and body, thoughts and actions start to take shape with breath control and breathwork practices done even for just a few minutes regularly.