For many people, the breath is something much more than just the purely physical movement of air. It is often described as the energy, life force, cosmic essence, the vital principle that permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. Different cultures refer to the same phenomenon but by different names, such as: prana, qi, ki, lung, ruach, spiritus, mana, rouh and pneuma.

In yoga, the breath is considered not only the path of spiritual development, but also as a simple way of staying in good health. In the yogic breathing pranayama, the practices are well described, each with its own purpose – including energizing, cleansing, or relaxing.

• For a long time, most mainstream medical practitioners had no interest in breathwork, but that began to change in the 1950s. 
• These days, athletes are also taking an interest in breathwork. In sports, it’s always an arms race. 
• Athletes are turning to traditional yogic breath-control practices as a means for conditioning the body and strengthening the respiratory system – certain breathing exercises can improve how efficiently the body uses oxygen. Breathwork is especially pertinent to endurance sports.

• Nasal breathing slows the incoming airflow, which has a calming effect on the nervous system.
• The air is traveling slower and stays longer in the alveoli, where gas exchange happens. This gives oxygen more time to diffuse in the bloodstream, which can result in 10-20 per cent greater oxygen uptake.
• Your nose acts as a filter for pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses.
• The air going into the lungs is conditioned to better suit the body – warmed up or cooled down, depending on the external environment.
• By breathing through your nose, you expel up to 40 percent less water (meaning you’re less prone to dehydration).
• It avoids the problems associated with long-term excessive mouth breathing, such as dental problems, inflammation of the upper airways, forward head posture and even changes in the shape of the jaw.

• It’s more relaxing and it makes the process of gas exchange more efficient. 
• The oxidative stress caused by mental or physical exhaustion can be mitigated by diaphragmatic breathing. 
• Diaphragmatic breathing helps to move the lymph (the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system), therefore moving pathogens through the lymph nodes where they can be treated with specific lymphocytes. 
• Another benefit is the increased blood flow to the heart. And if you strengthen the diaphragm as a muscle (through regular diaphragmatic breathing), you’ll increase your physical endurance.

Since your body is governed by rhythms – your nervous system picks up the steady flow of air as a cue for safety and adjusts other bodily processes accordingly – you can use this to your advantage.

One way is via a common practice in yoga, in which we breathe in and out to a count. The aim is to find a comfortable length of the breath and, once it becomes easy, the rhythm can be slowed down.