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One of the primary concepts of Spiritual practice and Yoga is proper breathing. Although the benefits can be felt, there is some ignorance to the reasoning behind the emphasis of breathing through the nose. Studying anatomy has provided some insight on the anatomical significance of breathing through the nose.
The nose and nasal cavity are designed to filter, warm, and humidify the incoming air and play a large role in the respiratory defense system. The hair in your nose and nasal cavity filter out the larger particles such as sand and dust and the mucus secreted in the nasal cavity traps and filters out particles as small as 10 micrometers! This filtration ensures that the fragile tissues in your respiratory system are not damaged by foreign particles and to some degree keeps out foreign pathogens such as bacteria that can cause illness. The intricate design of the nasal cavity plays an important role in warming and humidifying incoming air which is why it is important to breathe from the top of the nose, rather than larger gulps of air through the base of the nose. As the air travels up the top of your nose it enters into the nasal cavity where it travels through narrow grooves, called meatuses, which are designed to bounce the air around like water flowing over rapids. This increases surface exposure of the air and allows for particles to come in contact with and become trapped in mucus. The turbulence created in these grooves keeps the air in the nasal cavity long enough to reach acceptable temperatures and humidity for ideal oxygen/co2 exchange in the lungs. Breathing through the mouth bypasses the majority of these safeguards and eliminates nearly all air filtration and warming. This can cause damage to your respiratory system and more freely allows for foreign pathogens to enter your body. If that wasn't enough, without the warming and humidifying functions of the nasal cavity the oxygen/co2 exchange in the lungs becomes less efficient and hinders cellular respiration.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the overall function of your nasal cavity and respiratory function but it provides some basic insights on the importance of focused, controlled nose breath, not only in formal meditation but also in day to day life.
Breath is life. Breathe right, live right. Breathe in God, Breathe out ego.
The nose and nasal cavity are designed to filter, warm, and humidify the incoming air and play a large role in the respiratory defense system. The hair in your nose and nasal cavity filter out the larger particles such as sand and dust and the mucus secreted in the nasal cavity traps and filters out particles as small as 10 micrometers! This filtration ensures that the fragile tissues in your respiratory system are not damaged by foreign particles and to some degree keeps out foreign pathogens such as bacteria that can cause illness. The intricate design of the nasal cavity plays an important role in warming and humidifying incoming air which is why it is important to breathe from the top of the nose, rather than larger gulps of air through the base of the nose. As the air travels up the top of your nose it enters into the nasal cavity where it travels through narrow grooves, called meatuses, which are designed to bounce the air around like water flowing over rapids. This increases surface exposure of the air and allows for particles to come in contact with and become trapped in mucus. The turbulence created in these grooves keeps the air in the nasal cavity long enough to reach acceptable temperatures and humidity for ideal oxygen/co2 exchange in the lungs. Breathing through the mouth bypasses the majority of these safeguards and eliminates nearly all air filtration and warming. This can cause damage to your respiratory system and more freely allows for foreign pathogens to enter your body. If that wasn't enough, without the warming and humidifying functions of the nasal cavity the oxygen/co2 exchange in the lungs becomes less efficient and hinders cellular respiration.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the overall function of your nasal cavity and respiratory function but it provides some basic insights on the importance of focused, controlled nose breath, not only in formal meditation but also in day to day life.
Breath is life. Breathe right, live right. Breathe in God, Breathe out ego.
