We are seeing more and more research into how our breathing affects us physically, mentally and emotionally. One interesting area is how breathing and breathwork affects the brain.

In one study from the Simula Research Laboratory, it was shown that longer, deeper breaths increase the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through our brain. This fluid is important as it plays an important role, carrying away waste substances that can harm the brain, such as harmful proteins and excess water.

We know that when these waste substances collect in the brain they can lead to functional brain disorders. For example it has been found that Alzheimer sufferers have an accumulation of the plaque amyloid beta.

In 2013 it was discovered that cerebrospinal fluid plays a role in cleansing the brain. Previously it was thought the heartbeat was responsible for the flow of this fluid, but the research carried out by Simula Research Laboratory showed that also the breath plays an important role too. In fact, the volume of fluid that moved during the breath cycle was four times more than the volume that moved during a heartbeat cycle. It also went on to show that fewer, deeper breaths had a greater impact on the flow than rapid shallow breaths, because the breath cycle is longer and therefore it can carry more volume of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Research has also shown something that many of us practitioners have known for a long time. That the breath helps us to calm down.

Studies have shown why that is. When we take deeper, slower breaths this increases the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream. That increase is what activates our parasympathetic nervous system, our rest and digest system. When our parasympathetic nervous system is activated our blood pressure lowers, our breathing slows and it promotes digestion. We move into a relaxed state and this restful state allows our body to move into recovery mode. The longer we can be in our parasympathetic nervous system, the more our bodies can recover and the healthier we tend to be.

Studies have also looked into the connection between our breath and our everyday lives. For example the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University have found that our breathing rhythms are closely tied to our brain rhythms.

They noticed that as we breathe in we tend to be more sensitive to the world around us, whereas when we breathe out we tend to tune the world out. If you think, marksmen tend to take their shot at the end of an exhale. They went on to conclude that breathing is not just something we do to stay alive, but that it also impacts our emotions, our attention, and how we process the world around us.

In fact another study found a direct correlation between our breathing and our ability to focus. The study showed that we tend to inhale before doing a cognitive task, and that by doing so it improves our performance. It also noted that these effects were only shown to occur when we breathed through our noses, not through our mouths.

One last study we found interesting showed our breathing rhythm changes depending on what we are doing. It’s so automatic we are unlikely to notice that our breath changes when we eat, talk or laugh. Our brain instantaneously changes our breathing. Unlike the heart that has pacemaker cells, the lungs are controlled by the brain, adapting to whatever experience the brain perceives we are doing. Which also explains why we are able to consciously change our breathing habits when we bring our attention to it.

Breathwork has been used by practitioners for centuries, but it’s only now that science is able to show the benefits of the practice, and we find that very exciting!