Why Every Yoga Class Starts with the Breath.

When a teacher invites you to “take a deep breath,” they’re doing far more than filling the silence. In yoga, prāṇa, the subtle life-force that rides on the breath, is considered the master conductor of body, mind, and spirit. Modern science is catching up, showing that the way we breathe can influence everything from our heart rhythm to our mood and, intriguingly, even how long we live.

The breath is a bridge between the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves. It’s the only vital function we can run on manual or automatic. By steering it consciously, we gain a back-door handle on the nervous system the same circuitry that controls heart rate, digestion, stress hormones, and emotional tone. It’s no accident that in the Yoga Sūtra, breath awareness (prāṇāyāma) is placed before meditation; when the breath is steady, the mind follows.

In my Yoga Therapy training, I’ve learned to look at the breath not as a side-note, but as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. When someone’s breathing is fast, shallow, or held, it gives clues about their emotional and physical state. We explore how different breath ratios, like longer exhales, can tone the vagus nerve, encourage parasympathetic dominance, and support recovery from stress, trauma, and illness.

I’ve found it fascinating that breath doesn’t just follow mood, it shapes it. Each inhalation slightly accelerates the heartbeat; each exhale slows it down. When we slow and extend the breath, we nudge our physiology toward calm. This isn’t just poetic, it’s measurable. I’ve seen students visibly soften in just a few minutes of guided breathing, and the research supports this: reduced anxiety, improved heart-rate variability, even reduced inflammatory markers over time.

So what happens when we hold the breath? That’s something I get asked a lot, especially when people notice themselves doing it without meaning to. Breath-holding is often a sign that the nervous system feels under threat. It’s a freeze response. Whether you’re concentrating hard, bracing against pain, or stuck in a pattern of chronic stress, holding the breath can signal that the body doesn’t feel safe. While short, conscious pauses in the breath can be therapeutic in certain techniques, unconscious breath-holding tends to increase tension, drive up carbon dioxide levels, and trigger more anxiety.

Once you become aware of it, you might be surprised how often you hold your breath, during emails, conversations, even yoga poses. The gentle invitation is to let the breath move freely again. Even just noticing it can create a shift.

One of the most fascinating things I’ve come across in my studies is the idea that the number of breaths we take in a lifetime might correlate to how long we live. Across the animal kingdom, creatures with slower resting breathing rates tend to live longer. A Galápagos tortoise breathes just 3 times per minute and can live over 150 years. A rabbit breathes 30 to 60 times per minute and typically lives 8 to 12 years. Humans average 12 to 20 breaths per minute however with breath training, it’s possible to slow this down and breathe more efficiently, potentially creating conditions for greater longevity and vitality.

It’s not magic. It’s rhythm. Each breath is like a message from the body to the brain, saying “I’m safe,” or “I’m in danger.” And when we learn to breathe with awareness; gently, slowly, and with ease, we create a consistent message of safety and balance.

Every yoga teacher cues the breath because it’s the golden key, a voluntary action that unlocks involuntary systems, steadies the mind, soothes the heart, and helps us feel more at home in ourselves. Next time someone says “just breathe,” remember: you’re not just filling your lungs. You’re tapping into one of the most powerful tools for health, connection, and calm that we have.

And if in doubt, look to the tortoise.

Naomi Hurst