Yoga Journal Conference, Day 2: Session 3: Breathing: Physiology and Practice with Roger Cole

Roger Cole


Breathing: Physiology and Practice Roger Cole - Course ID: M3COLE 
Mixed Levels
Saturday, January 30 — 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Main Conference - Session 3
Learn the basics of breathing science, from the molecular level to its effects on consciousness. We'll explore and practice breathing mechanics and physiology that apply directly to both pranayama and everyday life.  Lecture and breathing practice.

Roger's workshop was mostly a power point presentation with some breath-work.

Awesomely geeky, and very male.  Roger had a great style of repeating back questions to make sure he heard them correctly.  His pace was focused, fast and sharp.  This course validated what we have been teaching at Lulu's about the breath and the nervous system, giving a few more anatomical details and ways of expressing the miracle of respiration.

Diffusion

a natural property of nature

when there is an imbalance, nature finds a balance

this is the basis of respiration

Slide 1:

A slide with two blobs and lots of dots.

CO2

biproduct of effort

"Respiration is the basis of life."

One definition of respiration is the "exchange of gases and the resultant burning of energy"

Pranayama

Regulation of a sense of vitality (not breath), but the techniques use breath.

We are trying to improve our subjective experience.

And there is a continual evolution of breathing.

Roger put forth the idea that we are still breathing the same breath that we first breathed.

This was a BIG idea and not an easy one to wrap around.

I allowed it to wash through and over.

"The Robust Biological systems that maintain our breathing"

There is an inherent Wisdom built in from the beginning.

"the natural breath is the most powerful pranayama"

Trust in the Breath

Start from where you are

Mechanics of Breathing

Roger showed a slide detailing the Lung Anatomy.

From the Trachea to the Bronchi to the Avioli.

- 3 Lobes in Right

- 2 Lobed in Left

Avioli are like small little grapes with the thinnest skin where the gas exchange happens.

Blood stream cannot carry enough oxygen on its own, so hemoglobin evolved to grab extra.

Stale Air

we never breath out all the air

stays like "dead space in the tubes"

this has an impact on the next breath

best posture to remove stale air is Savasana

more than aerobic activity

Mechanism of Ashtma

bronchials have muscles around them

in exercise induced asthma, the bronchi swell up and constrict

hard to breath in and out

opening the bronchi is the solution

restricting exhalation to increase pressure to back up in lungs is one method

(the breathing through a straw or into a paper bag)

Inversions

There was a question about inversions helping to release stale air

Yes, the diaphragm is pushing more on the lungs and the weigh of the internal organs are resting on it, BUT the ribs swing up and out, the lateral dimension is increased so don't get full exhalation.

"Observe and See what Happens"

Control of Respiration

level of CO2 in bloodstream determines our breath.

medulla oblongata is home of main respiration centers

Dorsal respiratory group 

blood flows through the medulla to regulate the need to breath

urge to breathe cased by high CO2 Levels

low oxygen might stimulate breath, but only in an emergency

we sit @ 99% oxygen saturation all the time

low oxygen is abnormal

we don't need to do dramatic breathing to get big effects

"subtly nudge towards calm or activation"

Practice: Bhastrika

short blasts to create the space

afterwards, quiet, no need to breath

To reduce CO2 level, more CO2 out than is being produced.

When we hyperventilate, the CO2 is down

The light headiness is caused by the constriction o the blood vessels to the brain to prevent flow of blood?

Changing the CO2 changes the acidity, changes the nerves?

What is better? short bursts or long slow exhalation?

When CO2 level is down, there is less need to breath

When cells burn Oxygen to create energy, you produce CO2

Physiology of Relaxation

- every time we exhale, our heartbeat slows down (tilted towards the Parasympathetic)

- mental focus also calms the system

How to Create a State of Calm

Breathing with just the belly.  Isolated belly breath breaks link between chest breathing and stress

Muscles

External intercostals lift the rips

Scalenes pull of 1st and 2nd Ribs

Diaphragm lifts ribs too

use fingers lightly touching to feel expansion of ribs

Isolated Chest Breathing makes us anxious because we recruit muscles associated with the fight or flight response.

Jalandhara Bandha takes scalenes out of picture.

Vagus Nerve

Herring Brower Reflex?

He suggested that it is not really clear if stimulating the PS calms everything down.

Practice

belly breathing

side ribs and belly breathing

belly, side ribs and upper ribs breathing

the main practice is to start to breath up in the area that stimulates the stress and stay relaxed.

Question about the Nervous System

This Question came into the web site today:

love the webpage! I am curious what are a few (or several) asanas to balance an overactive sympathetic nervous system, and for excessive para-sympathetic system? Also, what are some of the functions of the inhalation and exhalations while doing the postures? -J

It's a complex question, so I thought I would make an effort to answer here.
As a backgrounder, this page has a a lot of information.

Meeting "an overactive sympathetic nervous system."
Yoga has the ability to meet us wherever we are. One of the beautiful results of yoga's fusion and blending with so many different modalities is that it can represent itself as attractive to almost anyone. Usually we are attracted to what we already are. And in yoga, this means that we will often start with a modality that exaggerates our already existing conditions, eventually being lead to a more appropriate match.

For starters, this is a sequence of postures that I have been using to address panic, or the resulting state of a chronic state of stress. However, it is only recently that I have had the capacity to relax enough to actually understand that I am stressed and spend time with roots of it.

Often, a being who is under stress feels more compelled to try to "fight stress with stress". An active strong practice meets the habitual patterning. The sense of "go go go" is satisfied and system is used to associating exhaustion with relaxation. Then, magically the practice gently leads the being towards a practice where they can more easily see the truth of what is.

The starting point will depend on the person's temperament and already existing athletic ability. Often a stressed athletic man or woman will feel more at home in a vigorous practice like vinyasa, Ashtanga or Bikram to start. And while these modalities can be stressful practices with potential for injury, they provide a familiar (and therefore ironically, "safe") starting point. However, a stressed mother of 4 who has not had time to exercise in years, might feel more drawn to a restorative or gentle class where she feels she can rest. Eventually, the athlete will find him/herself to more meditative slower paced classes and the out of shape mother will be drawn to more physically demanding classes as she gets more in touch with the needs of her body. This is how it seems to work.


"and for excessive para-sympathetic system?"
There is no real such term that I know of, but if you are referring to depression, then postures that open the front of the chest (like back bending) and pranayama practices that emphasize the inhale length and retention are generally recommended.

"functions of the inhalation and exhalations while doing the postures."
There is an anatomy to the inhale and the exhale.

On the inhale, this happens:
- the hips internally rotate
- the pelvis tips forward
- the tailbone lifts
- the low back compresses
- the heart opens
- the head tilts back

On the exhale, this happens:
- the hips externally rotate
- the tailbone drops
- the navel draws back to the spine
- the chest relaxes
- the head tips forward

Generally, the anatomy of the Inhalation is stimulating to the Sympathetic Nervous System, and the anatomy of the Exhalation is stimulating to the ParaSympathetic Nervous System. Long deep even smooth breathing finds the balance and can help quiet the mind.

In the Postures, we can allow the breath to help align us and emphasize one or the other depending on the effect we want.

So, for example, lets look at Bridge Pose.
As you can see, the chest is open and stretched. My body is already in the shape of the inhale. I am using the shape to stimulate the Sympathetic Nervous System(SNS). If I meet the shape with long slow deep exhales I am essentially counter posing while in the shape. Simultaneously, because the SNS is being stimulated physically but I am meeting it with the message of ease and relaxation through the long exhales, the nervous system starts to get retrained to stay relaxed even in potentially stressful situations.

Does that make sense?

If not, please continue to ask the questions that will help be answer more clearly.
Thank you for the opportunity.
xo
k