Follow Your Breath

On most of my walks with Pants, I tell her where to go. Turn here, follow me, do not go into that house, it is not yours, and so forth. But every once in a while, Pants and I will take a walk in Forest Park where she gets to make the decisions. One of my favorite walks of all time was because I followed her up a trail I never would have noticed. Party Mix Pants always notices side trails. We spent an hour traversing the ridge of a hill, stopping to smell interesting things, investigate slugs, and sniff up trees. I had nowhere to go but wherever my dog led me, and the only decision I had to make was to follow her.

This way!

Deep breathing is a really helpful tool for a lot of people. The process of noticing and slowing your breath sends a message to your fight or flight system that it can power down. It slows your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. It’s like a warm blanket for your entire anxiety system. Which is why it’s so important to find a breathing practice that fits you.

But what I hear from a lot of people is that exerting control over their breathing ratchets up their anxiety, rather than inviting calm. For me, trying to fit my breath into the square breathing mold makes me feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen. Something about it — the focus, the control, the worry that I’m doing it wrong, my lung capacity — deprives me of oxygen and sets off my fight or flight. Instead of calming down, I panic.

If square breathing, lion’s breath, alternate-nostril, or one of the other many techniques works for you, heck yeah! Go do that thing! But if you’re one of those people who has never understood why people get hyped about breath work, or if you’re pretty sure you’re going gag if another therapist or yoga instructor recommends deep breathing, allow me to introduce you to following your breath.

Wherever you are right now, take a moment to notice your breath. Imagine it as your best friend (who I’m assuming is a dog) trotting along ahead of you on a forest path. You don’t have to make any decisions. Just follow along behind. The sun is shining through the dappled green leaves. The air is infused with the loamy scent of pine and mulch. It’s quiet, just you and your dog and the wind in the trees.

Just go where she’s going

Now, notice your breath. Follow it down whatever path it’s taking. Notice what it feels like to breathe in cool, dry air through your nose. Notice the point when the air becomes the same temperature as your body. Notice how your chest, belly, and shoulders expand. Notice the feeling of oxygen entering your system. Maybe it’s a little tingly, or like calm spreading through your chest, or expansive like a stretch. Notice what it feels like to have lungs full of breath, and if your body wants to pause there, do. Then, notice the slow descent into empty lungs. The air has been changed by your body, now warm and damp, now a different substance than it was just a moment ago. Notice how your body concaves, chest and belly falling as your lungs empty. Follow your breath to the end, to that last moment when you feel complete. And then breathe in again.

Those walks with Pants help me get to know her better, strengthen our bond, and help me trust her. She’s curious, an adventurer, and can’t pass up a new trail. She’s attentive to and fascinated by the world around her. She likes to watch birds.

Following your breath is an act of trusting your body to know what it’s doing. And you can trust your body — it breathes all the time whether you’re paying attention or not. Get to know it, and let it show you how it wants to be.

Pictured: calm. Also, pretzel Pants.

Take a moment this New Year’s Eve to breathe with your pup — they might be pretty stressed with the fireworks. And feel free to share this with anyone you think will enjoy it!