Abstract

Breath as we know is of vital importance in our lives and we cannot live beyond two minutes if deprived of breath. That is the reason God has gifted us with automatic breathing which goes on effortlessly, uninterruptedly, and continuously throughout our lives. It goes on at a stable pace but on occasions when we are angry, frightened or emotionally disturbed our breathing changes pace and becomes short and fast. Contrarily, during yogic exercises, our breath becomes slow, longer and deeper making our mind calm. Thus, breath speed and durations can be varied at our wish. Controlled breathing which is done deeply, at a slow speed, and of longer duration is very beneficial and very important. Most of us are not aware of the importance of controlled breathing. This paper attempts to create awareness about its importance. In this paper, we shall learn what is breathing, what different types of breathing are, what is meant by controlled breathing, and how it can be done. We shall explore what benefits accrue if we make it our natural habit to have controlled breathing. In this context, we shall discuss Yoga also which is rich with knowledge on breath and mind control.