In autumn, the energy is highest in the lungs and large intestine, which in Chinese medicine constitute our metal element in the body. Perhaps you are familiar with getting a slightly metallic taste in your mouth when you are about to get sick with, for example, the flu. A sign that there is an imbalance in the metal element, i.e., lung-large intestine.
It is therefore particularly important to work with breathing to strengthen the energy in the lungs this autumn. And at the same time, focus on good, healthy digestion.
The lungs are really "just" containers that are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the body, i.e., nutrition for the cells and excretion of waste products.
In the same way, the large intestine works to remove waste from the body by removing what the body can no longer use. It expels from the body what no longer nourishes us. Both the lungs and the large intestine therefore play an important role in removing waste products from the body. Expelling what does not nourish us or is not good for us.
In my book The 5 Seasons' Energy, I describe how autumn's energy is about letting go, cleansing, and making space for new energy – just as the Lungs and Large Intestine do in the body. Here you will find an excerpt from the book about the importance of breathing for body, mind, and energy. Further down, you will also find examples of breathing exercises from my latest book Seasonal Diary - My 5 Seasons' Energy. You can find my books in the webshop.
BREATHE - WHY BREATHING IS IMPORTANT
We can live about 3 weeks without food, about 3 days without water, but only about 3 minutes without oxygen.
We all breathe about 20,000 times a day. The air we inhale consists of about 21% oxygen, and for each inhalation, we only absorb about 3-5% oxygen.
Oxygen is essential for our body's cells, as cells die without oxygen - especially our brain cells die after only a few minutes without oxygen. 90% of the energy your body and cells need therefore comes from oxygen.
Oxygen is transported from the lungs throughout the body via the blood, which also transports the waste product carbon dioxide (CO2) from the cells to the lungs and out of the body with exhalation. Our breathing is therefore vital for the body's absorption of oxygen and excretion of carbon dioxide.
But oxygen uptake is not only a necessity for us to function physically. Studies show that increased oxygen uptake strengthens our brain activity, as we actually form new brain cells, called newborn cells. Our brain therefore gets bigger.
But how do we increase oxygen uptake? We may often have heard that increased physical activity increases oxygen uptake, but what is it about physical activity that increases oxygen uptake? Breathing, of course. And blood circulation – which is related to breathing. When we use our body physically, the cells require more energy/oxygen, so breathing and heart rate increase, so that oxygen can be distributed throughout the body.
It is rare that we give our breathing a thought, because it just runs on autopilot. Breathing can function as an unconscious automatic function, and it is necessary that it functions automatically so that we can do other things while we breathe. But in fact, breathing is also a function in the body that we can regulate and thus help to control.
That breathing functions without us having to be conscious of it, unfortunately does not mean that we breathe optimally.
With breathing exercises, you can actually increase oxygen intake from 3-5% to almost double. It does not necessarily require combining breathing with physical activity, although physical activity is of course healthy.
In addition to the purely physical benefits of breathing exercises, breathing and our attention to breathing are among the more effective methods for calming the mind, as breathing is both affected by and also affects our nervous system. Focusing on breathing helps us bring our attention to our physical state and bring us back to the present moment. Breathing is therefore a cornerstone of yoga.
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM - HOW IT WORKS
The respiratory system consists of the parts you use to breathe, including the nose, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.
Air is carried via the trachea and bronchi down to the lungs. The trachea carries air down to the chest, where the tube divides into two main branches; two main bronchi, which then divide into even smaller branches or vessels; called bronchioles. At the end of each bronchiole is a bubble-like structure called an alveolus. We can compare it to leaves at the end of small branches. It is in the alveoli that the constant exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place to the very small blood vessels located in the alveolar wall. The blood is thus supplied with oxygen via the alveoli and at the same time releases carbon dioxide. We have approx. 300 million alveoli in each lung, and the number of alveoli is greatest at the bottom of the lungs.
DIAPHRAGM – THE MIDRIFF
You don't breathe with your lungs but with your breathing muscle (diaphragm), also known as the midriff, as well as accessory muscles around the ribs and collarbones. When you inhale, the diaphragm is activated and pulls downwards, creating a vacuum in your lungs that causes your lungs to fill with air. When the muscle relaxes again and moves back upwards, the lungs empty of air. That is, if we breathe optimally. There are many different respiratory diseases that arise due to incorrect breathing - because we don't fill and empty our lungs properly, so there is an imbalance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs.
THE CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS BREATH
The approximately 20,000 times we breathe every day happen completely automatically and unconsciously. Your body will make sure you breathe and get oxygen to the cells in your body while expelling waste products through exhalations.
It happens automatically and completely unconsciously, unless we choose to breathe consciously. Because we actually have that option too. Breathing is one of the few physical functions we can control in the body, but which can also go on "autopilot" and thus function entirely on its own. This is both good and bad, because we can influence breathing both consciously and unconsciously. We can unconsciously affect breathing by pulling in our stomach and tensing our abdomen, for example, when we are stressed. When we are stressed, breathing easily becomes more superficial and thus sits in the upper part of the lungs. This means that we negatively affect breathing, as we get less air into the bottom of the lungs, where the greatest exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs. As you may remember, it is at the bottom that we have the most alveoli – or "leaves." But it also means that we actually have the opportunity to positively influence breathing consciously by becoming aware of breathing and also by being aware of whether we pull in our stomach and perhaps tense up when we are under pressure. Whether breathing is superficial and fast or deep and slow. With awareness, we gain possibilities. So next time you feel stressed, just remind yourself to relax your stomach and get the air all the way down to the bottom of your lungs. Become aware of your breathing and perhaps take some deep inhales and exhales to reconnect with your breath.
EXPLORE YOUR BREATH
Make yourself comfortable before the exercise. Feel free to close your eyes. Begin by sensing the room you are in, then feel the contact with the surface and observe what thoughts and feelings may arise or fill you in this moment. Then turn your attention to your breath. Feel how your breath feels in this moment. Feel the natural rhythm of your breath in your body. Without trying to control or change it.
Feel the inhale. Feel the exhale. Feel the small pause between inhale and exhale. A fraction of a second pause before the breath turns. Also feel the small pause between exhale and inhale. A pause where time may seem to stand still. Feel the calm in the pause – and the connection to yourself. Right there.
Become curious about the breath. Where do you feel your breath the most? Explore your breath as if it were the first time you felt your breath. Does the breath have a slight sound? Temperature? Does the temperature feel different on the inhale and exhale? Is there a scent?
Take your time and simply immerse yourself in your breath with curiosity, as if it were the first time you felt your breath.
ABDOMINAL BREATHING - BREATHING INTO THE BELLY
Abdominal breathing is the most natural way of breathing. It's what you see small babies naturally doing when their belly rises and falls as they sleep. So, abdominal breathing is about getting air into the belly. Or what feels like the belly, because the air, of course, doesn't actually go all the way into the stomach. The important thing here is to relax your abdomen and lower belly. Let go of your stomach and just make it completely soft, so it bulges slightly. Let go of the belief that you look good when you pull your stomach in. That hinders breathing down into the bottom of the lungs, so definitely relax your stomach well.
If you are used to breathing more superficially, it can be challenging to go deeper. So if you are in doubt about whether you are getting air all the way down, then feel free to place one hand on your lower abdomen with your thumb at your navel and try to get your hand to move with your breathing. If it is still difficult, then try to press your lower abdomen out against your hand on the inhale. Do not give up if it is challenging; then you, of all people, need the exercise.
FULL YOGIC BREATHING - USE THE ENTIRE LUNG CAPACITY
In full yogic breathing, we aim to use the full lung capacity with deep inhalations and exhalations, filling ourselves well with air and trying to empty ourselves thoroughly.
You can, if you wish, place one hand on your lower abdomen with your thumb at your navel, and the other hand on your chest just below your collarbones, so you can follow the rhythm of your breath.
Take a good deep inhale, filling first your abdomen, then your chest, and finally your throat completely with air, and then empty yourself on the exhale; first the throat, then the chest, and finally the abdomen. And wait for a moment after the exhale, while the last bit of air seeps out, before the next natural inhale comes all by itself. Take another full yogic breath and continue for 10 times, if you can.
The small pause after the exhalation is important, so give it plenty of time. You're not in a hurry. We never completely empty ourselves of air, but with a little patience, we can empty ourselves just a little more. If we are too busy just focusing on the inhalation, we very easily create an imbalance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs. Generally, many of us are so busy in life that we don't give the exhalation enough time, and unfortunately, this easily leads to respiratory diseases such as COPD, which can arise from an imbalance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs.
In full yogic breathing, you fill up from the bottom and empty from the top down. As if filling a glass with water from the bottom and emptying the glass of water from the top again.
These two breathing exercises are simple but important, so do them every day if you can. If it's hard to find and set aside the time, maybe set a reminder on your phone to remind you to stop during the day and take 10 deep breaths (the full yogic breathing). Feel the calm it creates. With deep breaths, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, so it has a wonderfully calming effect. It's one of the best things you can do for yourself during autumn.
KAPAL BHATI - CLEANSING BREATHING
Kapal Bhati (also known as Kapala Bhati) is a so-called "kriya" in Sanskrit, meaning a cleansing exercise. Kapal Bhati is also known as "shining skull" because the exercise has a cleansing effect not only on the respiratory tract but also on the eyes. The white area around the iris is said to become whiter, clearer, and cleaner, making the eyes appear more radiant if the exercise is performed regularly - hence the name.
In Kapal Bhati, you cleanse the airways with the help of pumps - all the way from the abdomen.
In addition to cleansing the airways and removing excess oxygen/carbon dioxide, waste products, and foreign bodies from your breathing, the exercise also has other good properties. In the exercise, you use and strengthen the core muscles all the way down in the lower part of the abdomen, which is why some women benefit from it for rectus diastasis. In addition, you massage the system well with the pumps, so you also stimulate digestion and give the organs a gentle massage.
Remember, when doing the exercise, to pump out through the nose so that you cleanse the entire airway. Many may find the exercise a little uncomfortable because in our culture we are used to holding such things in. But let go and let out what needs to come out.
The exercise is ideal to do before starting yoga exercises, meditation or other training where you need good free breathing, so you can get plenty of oxygen.
I warmly recommend you to do the exercise as often as possible, preferably daily.
You can read more about Kapal Bhati in my blog post HERE.
The exercise above is from the book My 5 Seasons' Energy - The Seasonal Diary, which you can find in the webshop HERE.
NADI SHODAN - CALMING BREATHING
I would also like to introduce you to a wonderfully calming breathing exercise. It is another classic breathing exercise from yoga, and it now exists in many variations. I have made a simple introduction for you, so you can easily get started with the exercise. Nadi Shodan, also called alternate nostril breathing and Nadi Shodana (depending on where in India you come from), balances the energy in the body and creates balance between the two brain hemispheres and thus body parts, while also having a calming effect, as the parasympathetic nervous system is activated in the exercise.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHINESE MEDICINE AND BREATHING
If you want to dive deeper into breathing, the energy of the metal element, and the themes of autumn, you can read more in my book The 5 Seasons' Energy. If you wish to combine it with exercises and reflection questions for the year, you can find inspiration in My 5 Seasons' Energy – The Seasonal Diary. Both books are available in my webshop HERE.
AUTUMN COURSE FOR LUNG AND LARGE INTESTINE
If you wish to work deeper with the energy of autumn, you can participate in my 14-day course for Lung and Large Intestine, where we focus on breathing and the body's natural cleansing.
The course takes place online and can be done whenever and wherever it suits you. The course includes yoga, acupressure, breathing exercises and cleansing exercises, all specially selected to balance the autumn energy. The exercises help both digestion and lungs, so you can let go of the old and make space for new energy.
When you breathe deeply and consciously, you support the body's natural cleansing processes and become more resilient to illness and stress.
You can read more and sign up for the course HERE.
You can also read more about autumn energy and some seasonal advice in my blog post HERE.
