The Pranayama of Smoking...

Here is a quick insight that I had earlier in the year whilst I was in Canada talking to a friend about smoking and how many people report that it calms them down, helps them sleep and makes them feel 'better' on an unquantifiable level. If that is actually true then surely being less stressed, getting more sleep and feeling 'better' are in fact health benefits of smoking no..!?

Well before you reach for your packet of smokes and start thinking that it is 'healthy' to inhale around 4000 different chemicals of which over 40 of them are proven carcinogens, think again my friend..!

That said, I will break down the benefits caused by the breathing action of smoking on our physiology and suggest ways that we can enjoy these benefits without simultaneously exposing our bodies to large amounts of stress by taking into our lungs this lethal cocktail of poisons.

For those of you who have been on my website and read about the 'sigh of relief' technique, then this will probably make sense to you right away, however for those of you who haven't, I will explain the science behind it.

Firstly lets compare the act of 'taking a drag' with the sigh of relief. Both involve a strong deep inhale with a slight pause at the end, followed by a relaxed exhale and a long letting go of the breath or smoke.

When people are stressed (which is an almost inevitable occurrence with today's hectic modern living, in largely urban environments, far away from the soothing effects of Mother Nature) their breathing gets shallower and more into the top half of the lungs, their shoulders tend to become tense and thoughts rush around inside their heads in a chaotic manner creating a sense of panic. This is basically the same thing that happens when we are in a 'fight or flight' response and it is an evolutionary survival setting which floods our bodies with adrenaline and nor-adrenaline ready to go into combat or run for our lives..!

Most smokers would agree that within the first 5-10 drags on their cigarette they feel significantly calmer and in a much better state to either return to the stressful situation or just continue their day... Let me explain why...

Scientists now know that the inhale is associated with the sympathetic nervous system or the stress response and the exhale is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system and the recovery response. When we are stressed or in a dangerous situation our breathing becomes shallower and faster and the body releases large amounts of adrenaline into our systems. When we have escaped from the dangerous or stressful situation, we take a sigh of relief and the body starts all of the parasympathetic responses that help the body to recover and reset.

So smokers are effectively taking themselves away from a stressful situation and doing repeated sighs of relief making the body go into recovery mode...

However, scientists have now proven what ancient Yogis have claimed for millennia which is that these effects work both ways... the sense of panic or stress causes the rapid breathing, but equally, rapid breathing can cause feelings of panic or stress. By the same token, the relief from escaping danger or getting out of a stressful situation causes the body to give a sigh of relief, but equally, if we give a sigh of relief then the body is 'tricked' into thinking it is safe and able to go into recovery mode even if it isn't...!

Play around with both of these breathing patterns and become aware of the subtle physiological and mental changes that occur whilst you are doing them for 30 seconds or more...

So when you are smoking, you are essentially doing a deep breathing exercise that kicks in the parasympathetic nervous system and takes the body into a relaxed recovery mode that is actually very good for overall health and well being...

Unfortunately, you are also putting the body under toxic stress by inhaling the smoke which is heavily laden with chemicals that are essentially poisonous and carcinogenic in nature..!

So how can we get these hidden benefits of smoking without poisoning ourselves..?

There are a few different ways, but my personal favourite would be to buy yourself a simple or stylish cigarette holder and pull this out every time you feel stressed and need to have a cigarette (otherwise known as a breathing exercise or pranayama)

If you want to give the parasympathetic response a turbo boost then make a vibrating sound in your throat as you exhale such as an Ahhhhh or a Hmmmmm as there are vibration receptors in the throat that send even more messages to the brain to kick in the body's recovery response..!

If you are too attached to the visual effect of blowing smoke out of your mouth or nose or even blowing smoke rings etc, then the next best thing would be to invest in an electronic cigarette and try 'vaping'. This also has many potential health risks but compared to smoking traditional cigarettes it is a better option, kind of a half-way house if you like..

Smoking has another hidden benefit of taking you outside into more natural surroundings. A lot of people spend most of their work time stuck in offices in false lighting, breathing air conditioned air, looking at computer screens. The smokers have a great excuse to escape this from time to time and enjoy all of the benefits of being outside (Ecotherapy) whilst doing their 'pranayama'...

This is a habit that should be encouraged for smokers and non-smokers alike. If the smokers can start moving towards using cigarette holders so they are breathing in natural air (albeit a little tainted with urban pollution...) and if the non-smokers also go outside from time to time and learn to practice the breathing techniques that smokers have been unwittingly performing for decades, then we could see a huge reduction in work related stress and an increase in employee happiness and productivity..!

So it seems that the addictive qualities of nicotine are not the only reason why people feel 'addicted' and are reluctant to give up. The calming sensation from the breathing aspect on it's own is something that most people wouldn't want to give up once they've got used to it..! So the good news is that you don't have to... Just get yourself a cigarette holder and transform from being a toxic smoker into a pranayama and ecotherapy practitioner...!

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