I use yoga therapy to work with mental health issues as it is one of the most comprehensive modalities available.  In looking at the body of yogic teaching it is clear that yoga views the person from a physiological, psychological, spiritual and social context and provides prescriptions to cultivate each aspect taking into account the gamut of different minds and bodies.  For example, traditional yogic teachings encourage practitioners to observe certain codes of conduct and discipline which help to ease the mind, keep the body healthy, and benefit the community.  Additionally, yoga postures and breathing techniques intermingle relieving physical stress, while relaxing the nervous system and concentrating the mind; allowing for better personal and interpersonal functioning.  

Even the most rudimentary practices are designed to permeate all facets of a person.   My favorite example of such a gem is the ujjayi breath.   Simple to perform this breath helps to balance the nervous system, reduce rumination, and connect people to the sense of life force.  To practice ujjayi merely constrict the back of the throat so that when you inhale and exhale an oceanic like hissing sound emerges.  Just imagine that you are fogging up a mirror with your breath, allowing a gentle haaaa sound to echo at the back of the throat.

 So why is the ujjayi breath so powerful?  The answer is that breath is powerful and ujjayi breath encourages us to breathe in manner consistent with relaxation.  Breathing is the single most important physiological activity within our consciousness control for influencing our nervous system.  When we breathe in a shallow, chesty and rapid manner this informs our brain and nervous system that we under stress and the system responds by activating the sympathetic or fight and flight response.  When we breathe slowly elongating the exhale and oxygenating our entire lungs and the base of the lungs in particular, we trigger the parasympathetic or relaxation response. 

Quick breathing changes the CO2/O2 ratio in the body.  Breathing slowly and titrating the breath to elongate the exhale releases less CO2.  If CO2 levels are too low our brain is not alert or relaxed, instead, neuro-functioning becomes lethargic and erratic.  Moreover, CO2 levels determine our capacity to absorb O2.  Finally, the inhale is an active process, while exhale is a passive relaxing process.  If we inhale with too much force or if the length of inhale is greater than that of exhale we tend towards greater stress.  By practicing ujjayi breath and gently restricting the back of the throat we can easily determine how quickly we inhale or exhale and regulate these levels to maximize relaxation and absorption of O2, which elevates glucose levels in the brain and improves our overall functioning.  

Ujjayi breath also assists deep breathing, because it allows us to control the breath better promoting full and deep breathing.  Deep yet gentle breathing is essential for relaxation for many reasons.  Most importantly deep breathing is slower than normal breathing and uses the diaphragm more effectively.  The diaphragm is connected to a nerve called the vagus.  This nerve is essential for initiating the relaxation mechanism (it regulates heart beat, digestion and many other important functions). From the diaphragm the vagus connects to the emotional centre of the brain, the limbic system, and reciprocally feeds information from the body to the brain.  It is important to note that 80% of the fibres on this nerve extend from the body upward to the brain, indicating the body has a greater potential to inspire relaxation response in the brain than the reverse.  When the diaphragm is moving consistently and extending in a non-forced manner the vagus nerve is active and informs the brain we are safe and the relaxation response is triggered.  Done regularly, the vagus tone increases as does our capacity to manage future stress in a stress-less way.

Unique amongst the yogic breaths, ujjayi can be practiced alone or employed throughout an asana sequence to sustain calm against the back draft of challenging poses that would normally accelerate breathing rate and ramp up the nervous system.  In more gentle poses or when practicing long holds ujjayi breath promotes the elongation of the muscles fibres by consistently activating the relaxation response during stretching, thus aiding in flexibility and tension release.  For the psyche the gentle and hypnotic noise created by this breath tends to lull the mind out of obsessive thinking about the past and future drawing us to the present moment.  Present moment awareness is also enhanced by the basic relaxation evoked by this breath allowing us to feel safe and secure in the here and now.  In short, the ujjayi breath is simple practice that offers profound mental health benefits.

To begin your own practice of ujjayi find a comfortable seated position or lie flat on your back.  Inhale gently and exhale creating a haaa sound in the back of the throat, thereby elongating the exhale.  To ensure the breath is reaching the base of the lungs place the right hand above the navel and direct the breath there.  If you notice the breath jumping into the chest, as so often happens with chronic anxiety, use ujjayi to direct the breath back down to the abdominal cavity.  Breathing in this way you can retrain your nervous system, curbing the overactive stress response that arises from rapid chesty breathing and also induces accelerated and shallow breathing.  Try to practice about 5-10 minutes a day and when it becomes nearly second nature start making the same haaa sound on the inhale.  In time you will find you can use this breath when stress arises to quiet your mind and your nervous system.  Slowly this little star of a practice will become an invaluable tool in helping to reduce anxiety both psychologically and physiologically.