Breath as the Gateway
Myth Busting the Breath: Understanding the Mechanics and Emotions Behind Every Breath
Breathing is often overlooked as a simple, automatic process. Yet, it carries profound implications for our physical, emotional, and psychological health. The interplay between our anatomy and emotions makes breathing a gateway to understanding and improving our overall well-being. Here, we debunk some common myths about breathing by drawing insights from groundbreaking research by Gilbert (1998) and Bordoni & Zanier (2015).
Myth #1: Breathing is Just About Oxygen Intake
Reality: Breathing does more than fuel your cells with oxygen; it reflects and influences your emotional and psychological state.
Gilbert (1998) reveals that breathing patterns are deeply connected to emotional responses. For example, holding your breath is a natural reaction to surprise or perceived threats. While this freeze response evolved to heighten sensitivity to the environment, in modern psychosocial contexts, it can perpetuate anxiety and stress. Chronic breath-holding not only fatigues breathing muscles but also signals the brain that a threat is ongoing, exacerbating physiological stress.
And foundational it is important to understand that sensations create emotion as they make their way through a unique nervous system. Then, emotional memories birth thoughts which set in motion a breathing pattern, which relays across multiple diaphgrams throughout the body in a series of contractions and/or expansions. This almost immediate and subconscious body experience has EVERYTHING to do with how we feel.
Especially as it relates to agency and the felt experience of having the power to choose, or be effective in ones actions the breath is boss. In other words, the breathing pattern tells the body-brain about how safe it is to then put energy towards growth - engagement and imagination (according to Narvaez, 2016) over self-protection.
Bordoni & Zanier (2015) expand on this by showing how the nervous and fascial systems integrate breathing with posture and emotional regulation. Their work highlights the role of five interconnected diaphragms (pelvic floor, thoracic outlet, floor of the mouth, tentorium cerebelli, and the primary diaphragm) in managing intrabdominal pressures and supporting psychological balance.
Myth #2: Deep Breathing Means Using Only the Chest
Reality: Upper chest breathing is a stress-driven, emergency mechanism. Deep breathing should engage the diaphragm and abdominal muscles.
Gilbert (1998) underscores the importance of diaphragmatic breathing, which massages abdominal organs and maintains energy-efficient oxygen delivery. In contrast, upper chest breathing overuses accessory muscles, causing fatigue, pain, and reinforcing stress signals to the brain.
Bordoni & Zanier (2015) explain how poor posture and tension in the pelvic floor or thoracic outlet can disrupt diaphragmatic function. By addressing these areas through specific hands-on adjustments, they propose that breathing can become more expansive and functional, supporting better health and emotional resilience. Many shapes in yoga can help these self-manual releases if your instructors understands breathing patterns.
Myth #3: Mouth Breathing Is Harmless
Reality: Mouth breathing can signal and perpetuate stress, taxing the body over time.
Gilbert (1998) identifies mouth breathing as a biological “quick fix” under stress. While temporarily helpful, habitual mouth breathing tells the brain that the body is under threat, perpetuating anxiety and reducing performance by limiting oxygen supply to the brain.
Nasal breathing, in contrast, optimizes oxygenation, activates the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system, and supports diaphragmatic engagement.
Myth #4: Breathing Problems Are Purely Physical
Reality: Dysfunctional breathing often stems from unconscious, conditioned emotional responses.
Gilbert (1998) emphasizes that breathing disorders frequently originate from past trauma or learned emotional patterns. For example, someone who associates flowers with asthma due to a past attack may experience a reaction to plastic flowers if their brain perceives them as a threat. This conditioned response links psychological triggers to physiological breathing changes, such as hyperventilation or panic.
Addressing these patterns requires emotional awareness and reconditioning. Bordoni & Zanier (2015) add that hands-on interventions focusing on the fascial and nervous systems can help release tension stored in the body, creating space for healthier breathing patterns.
Myth #5: Breathing Techniques Alone Can Fix Anxiety
Reality: While breathwork is transformative, addressing underlying emotional and physical tension is key.
Gilbert (1998) points out that anxiety and breathing are intertwined. Repressed emotions can manifest as physical symptoms, including disordered breathing. Feeling and expressing emotions are vital for reducing anxiety and overwhelm.
Bordoni & Zanier (2015) advocate for holistic approaches that consider the entire body, not just the respiratory system. By working with the five diaphragms, practitioners can address the structural and emotional roots of breathing dysfunction, enabling lasting improvements.
Practical Takeaways for Better Breathing
Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing: Focus on expanding your lower abdomen rather than your chest with each breath.
Switch to Nasal Breathing: Train yourself to breathe through your nose for better oxygenation and stress reduction, UNLESS you are intentionally accessing the limbic brain for memory and emotional release.
Be Aware of Triggers: Notice when you hold your breath or shift into shallow breathing, and consciously reset your pattern. Noticing the jaw is another way to notice the breath as the jaw clench is in relationship to the 5 diaphragms.
Change Posture: Ensure your alignment supports optimal diaphragmatic function, especially when sitting or standing for long periods. For most people, this means doing breathwork in a reclined position unless sitting upright is completely easeful.
Seek Holistic Support: Consider manual therapy or breathwork practices that address the fascial, nervous, and muscular systems.
Breathing isn’t just a physiological function; it’s a mirror of our inner world and a tool for transformation. By understanding the myths and truths about breathing, we can use it to foster resilience, reduce anxiety, and enhance overall well-being. Approaching breath as both beloved and as a non-thing, as primordial are both ways in. Seeing it as a tool or function keeps it at the level of material, which kills intimacy and passion. When we reorient to the breath - it takes on a life and dynamism of its own!
