“Recovering naturalness in breathing is a practice and a tool
for recovering naturalness in eating.” ~ Charles Eisenstein
The quality of our breathing is often a reflection of how we are feeling. You may find that when you are feeling relaxed, you are breathing deeply into your belly, yet when you are feeling stressed, you are breathing more shallowly into your chest. This means that if we can find ways to soothe, settle and support our breathing, this will have a positive effect on how we eat.
The ”naturalness in eating” aforementioned by author Charles Eisenstein above is about understanding that our breath is an important means of connection with ourselves. When we can tune into the breath, we can better understand our body’s messages and consequently trust what our body is communicating to us.
In terms of the benefits of the breath, Charles explains in his book The Yoga of Eating that “deep breathing massages the internal organs, promotes lymph flow and venous blood return, and conserves energy”. But it is important to remember that deep breathing is not actually something we do. Rather, it is something we simply allow to happen. You might find that simple, gentle movements such as softening your jaw, relaxing your shoulders or stretching your arms up overhead help to settle and lengthen the breath, resulting in deep breathing. When we calm ourselves, we allow deep breathing to re-emerge naturally. “This is why deep breathing is not attained through learning, but through unlearning,” Charles continues. “Similar logic applies to the diet.”
When used mindfully, the breath is a powerful vehicle for reconnecting with yourself. “Like eating, breath can bring you face to face with things about yourself that might otherwise be inaccessible. It is true that you can calm the breath by calming the mind, but you can also calm the mind by calming the breath.”
