Tested: You Can Control The Brain With Breathing

Breathing is a great bridge between the brain and the mind. We all know that to calm down we must breathe slowly and deeply. Yoga and various meditation techniques use the breath to achieve their goals. However, there were hardly any scientific studies that explained the mechanism by which respiration influences the brain.

Researchers led by José Luis Herrero, from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, have just demonstrated how different types of breathing influence the functioning of different areas of the brain. According to scientists, respiratory rhythms are an organizing principle of electrical oscillations that take place in the cortex of the brain.

Each type of breathing activates a part of the brain

The study, in which the prestigious neurosurgeon Ashesh D. Mehta, from NorthShore University Hospital, in Long Island (New York), has participated, proves, for example, that when breathing fast, as occurs during an anxiety attack, some parts of the brain; Instead, by doing it slowly and deeply, the activity is transferred to other areas.

Research is important because it provides a physiological and scientific justification for the breathing practices performed in meditation, yoga, and other mind-body disciplines. It shows that through breathing you can improve attention, memory or emotional control.

To carry out the study, intracranial electroencephalographies, which consist of implanting electrodes inside the brain, were performed on six patients who were going to be operated on to treat their epilepsy that did not respond to medications.

Automatic or conscious breathing

Once the electrodes were implanted, the activity of the brain was analyzed in response to two types of respiration: the one that is carried out automatically, unconsciously, and the one that is carried out by voluntarily controlling the duration and depth of the inspirations and expirations.

The researchers asked the patients to breathe slowly and deeply, to hold their breath before exhaling, or to breathe rapidly. The scientists recorded the effect of different breaths on neural activity in various areas of the brain.

The authors’ conclusion is that breath control can be used “as a natural means of neuromodulation” and that it is “like a powerful remote control of the brain.”

Use your breath to control the brain

Throughout the day we breathe about twenty thousand times in automatic mode, using 30% of lung capacity. In many people, in addition, this breathing is thoracic, due to the tensions that accumulate in the abdominal area.

To improve our breathing, having a positive effect on the brain and consequently on the state of mind and the functioning of neurons, we can perform conscious breathing exercises several times a day.

Breathe slowly and deeply

The goal is to breathe more slowly and deeply. We can simply breathe in for 4 seconds, hold the air for 2 seconds, and breathe out for 4 seconds. As we breathe in, we feel as if the air is filling our stomach. We can put a hand on it, to feel how it moves.

This type of breathing helps us calm down and focus. Nor is used to get out of states of anxiety and stress or negative emotions such as anger or fear. In yoga, the practice of pranayama (breathing exercises) is said to promote clear perception.

In addition, if we focus our attention on the breath, we are doing a meditative practice, with all its benefits for the body and mind.

Reference:

• Ashesh D. Mehta et al. Breathing above the brain stem: volitional control and attentional modulation in humans. Journal of Neurophysiology.