The Benefits of Breathing Consciously & Ehekapahtinime

Western research is now proving what the ancestral people of Anahuak (or the "Americas") have known all along: Breathing consciously, mindfully and intentionally offers many powerful benefits to our mind & body. 

As more and more research continues to confirm native practices it is worth taking a look at the research while also keeping in mind that western science is still very young compared to ancestral sciences. So while we always enjoy reading the latest scientific affirmation of an ancestral practice, we also are fully aware that it is not needed. All we have to do is practice the discipline of Ehekapahtinime and we will see and feel the results ourselves.

That being said, lets take a look at some interesting information regarding the benefits of maintaining disciplines like Ehekapahtinime...

The Science
Despite the fact that breathing is a primarily unconscious act that requires little conscious interaction on our part, most of us still have a lot to learn about breathing. For example, many of us tend to take shallow, lung-focused breaths instead of deep belly diaphragmatic breaths. Or most of us tend to breathe pretty quickly, taking on average 14-20 breaths per minute, instead of the ideal 5-6 breaths per minute, which, according to Patricia Gerbarg, author of the Healing Power of the Breath has been proven to help us feel in an optimal state. And there are many more “bad habits” that are worth unlearning…

Why is any of this important? Well on the most basic level, breathing has a direct influence over our nervous system, which subsequently has an influence over many of our physiological functions and mental state. 

Here’s how western science breaks it down: every breath we take activates millions of sensory receptors in our respiratory system which then sends signals via the vagus nerve to our brainstem. Faster breathing activates the brain at a higher rate, which can then trigger it to activate our sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for increasing stress hormones, heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, sweat production and anxiety. Essentially this is our fight/flight/freeze response. On the other hand, slower breathing signals to your brainstem to induce the parasympathetic response, our rest & restore response, which will relax our heart rate, lower stress hormone production, and helps relax and calm us while increasing mental clarity. 

This is an important evolutionary response designed to use our autonomic nervous system as a  survival mechanism by adjusting our heart rate,respiration and digestion up or down as needed in response to potential threats. But today an increase in subtle stressors like traffic, social media pings, cell phone beeps, bill or work deadlines, etc have all been shown to increase our levels of stress, anxiety and, you know it, our breathing rate. 

By working with our breath, we can set off a whole domino effect of benefits to our physiology and more!

The Benefits
So its easy to see how breath changes in response to triggers like activity, emotions and even thoughts.  But many “modern” studies are now proving what our ancestors have already observed and practiced: actively changing our breath rate can actually change autonomic function, our mood and emotional state, our brain activity, and our states of consciousness…
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When you practice a discipline like Ehekapahtinime (or Tai Chi or Pranayama Yoga) you learn there are many different breathing techniques & exercises. Different breathing techniques will have different effects & benefits on our body/mind/spirit. And they may vary from person to person as well. It is always important to learn your own body’s signals and language and to listen to your body’s messages. This is the number one rule of all self-healing. However there are many proven benefits by both western science as well as ancestral teachings that comes with mindful, conscious breathing and different breathing techniques. Some of them are:
  1. Natural Painkiller  
    1. when you breathe deeply, the body releases endorphins, which are the feel good hormones and a natural pain killer created by the body itself (something that was highly beneficial to me while I was in labor)
  2. Improves Blood Flow & Detoxifies
    1. When we take deep breaths, the upward and downward movement of the diaphragm helps remove the toxins from the body promoting better blood flow
    2. Breathing activates the Lymphatic System which helps move toxins out of our bloodstream and out of our body 
    3. Additionally we are obviously expelling carbon dioxide from our lungs to prevent its toxic and acidic nature from invading our blood stream
  3. Increases Energy Levels
    1. Due to increased blood flow, we get more oxygen into our blood. Increased oxygen results in increased energy levels. (Perhaps this is related to many of our students’ increased appetite after classes as well?)
  4. Improves Posture
    1. Bad posture is often related to incorrect breathing. When we aren’t taking deep breaths consistently our lungs lose elasticity, which prevents them from being able to expel all of the air with exhales, taking up space, which then prevents our diaphragm from being able to expand fully with each breath. This has a domino affect because instead of depending on the diaphragm to support proper breathing, our neck, shoulder, back & rib cage muscles end up taking on some of this work which has an effect on our posture. The simple act of learning to properly take up space to breathe deeply can correct posture and create space for deeper breaths & healing
  5. Improves Digestion
    1. By providing more oxygen to our digestive system via our blood stream and creating a calmer nervous system we can optimize digestive  functions. ​
6.  Relaxation
  1. Constricted breath activates our sympathetic nervous system. While deep breathing allows our body to enter its parasympathetic rest and restore state calming the body and mind
  2. Manipulating the breath has been shown to create a 40% variance in emotions
7.  Improves Exercise Stamina & Weight Loss
  1. Breathing practices increase levels of leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue that signals the brain to inhibit hunger 
  2. Many experiments with basketball players, olympic athletes, swimmers, and mountaineers have shown many benefits: deeper breathing leads to increased exercise stamina, better muscle development, reduced need for additional oxygen, improves core muscle stability, improves body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise and pain, lowers your chances of injuring or wearing out your muscles, and slows your rate of breathing so that your body expends less energy
8.  Reduces depression, anxiety, stress and      promotes sleep
  1. Certain breathing techniques have been shown to activate our parasympathetic nervous system relaxing our heart rate, lowering stress hormone production, and helping the body relax and calm down, process & detox cortisol (a stress hormone) in the body and enter deeper states of sleep.
  2. Breathing techniques have also been shown to reduce inflammation which is linked to depression and anxiety as well
9.  Reduces heart rate & blood pressure
  1. Also a byproduct of the parasympathetic state of our nervous system
10.  Reduces inflammation & improves length & quality of life
  1. Just one session of relaxing practices like meditation, yoga, chanting and breathing techniques influenced the expression of genes in both short-term and long-term practitioners in a Harvard Study. Blood samples taken before and after the breathing practices indicated a post-practice increase in genetic material involved in improving metabolism & a suppression of genetic pathways linked with inflammation which are connected to diseases such as Alzheimers, depression, cancer and heart disease.

Ancestral Heritage
Beyond the science, our ancestors found that there are powerful effects on our state of consciousness and have used breathing techniques as tools for meditation, encouraging the development & flow of bioenergy in our body, activating different states of consciousness, expanding different levels of perception and deepening ritual work. 

Whether it is for healing certain conditions or to maintain a harmonious state in your body or to deepen your spiritual practices... it's obvious that the benefits of conscious breathing are numerous. However the true potential lies in combining breathing techniques with intentional movement & meditation like in Ehekapahtinime.  It is as a holistic & multifaceted discipline that it can not only have an impact on our body, mind, bioenergy, consciousness and spirit, but, in line with the ancestral principle of living in harmony with our environment, in Ehekapahtinime even has exercises with the focus of creating a harmonious state for the planet as well. 

While western science is only now starting to take an interest in these practices, ancestral societies, like those of Mesoamerica, not only took an interest but intentionally developed potent disciplines like Ehekapahtinime. We are incredibly grateful that our teachers and our teachers' teachers have guarded and preserved these exercises for us to learn today. We have felt for ourselves the powerful impact of this discipline and have witnessed many fascinating effects on others around us. This is part of our ancestral heritage and a discipline that deserves uplifting and dignification.

To learn more we encourage you to attend our Ehekapahtinime classes every Sunday. You can find more info here.


​by Clarissa Gonzalez Mazehuani

Sources:
“The Healing Power of the Breath” Richard P Brown, Patricia Gerbarg
Akaxe Yotzin Gomez
Arturo Meza Gutierrez
Angela Maria Martinez Sanchez
“Diaphragmatic Breathing”, Sean Ramsden
“Diaphragmatic Breathing Training Program Improves Abdominal Motion During Natural Breathing In Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: a Randomized Controlled Trial” Joao Salge
“Standing Posture & Pulmonary Function in moderate-persistent asthmatics following aerobic and diaphragmatic breathing training” by Ina Shaw
“Coping Skills Anxiety Deep Breathing” by Dr Naglaa Ibrahim
“Effects of Deep Breathing, Visualization and Vocalization on Levels of Stress and Anxiety” by Clayton Micallef
Patanjali Research Foundation