我们每几秒钟就要呼吸一次
We take a breath every few seconds.
我们依赖吸入氧气以维持生命
Our life depends upon inhaling oxygen,
但我们从未想过我们是如何呼吸的
but we never think about how we breathe.
呼吸的进行表面上是一种自然而然的过程
It just seems to happen automatically.
怎么会有如此简单的东西
How can something that seems so simple
成为我们维持生存和关键因素
be the key to keeping us alive?
呼吸开始于我们所存在的环境
Breathing starts with the environment around us.
我们吸入或产生的空气
The air we breathe in, or inspire,
是一种包含氮气，二氧化碳和氧气的气体混合物
has a mixture of gases including nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen,
它对我们的生存具有最为重要的作用
which is the most important for our survival.
空气通过鼻子和嘴巴进去我们的身体
It enters our body through the nose and mouth,
然后向下移动，经过咽喉，气管，支气管
moves down into the pharynx, trachea and bronchial tubes,
最终抵达肺中的肺泡气腔
and ultimately reaches the alveoli air sacs in the lungs.
肺泡通过气压将氧气和养分压入血液
The alveoli use pressure to move oxygen and nutrients into the blood.
隔膜和肋间肌肉组成一个泵压系统促进空气交换
The diaphragm and intercostal muscles are a pumping system that facilitates this air exchange.
你的呼吸，尤其是在当你受到来自身体或者情绪的压力时又是怎样影响你的能量等级的
How you breathe affects your energy level, especially when you are under physical or emotional stress.
回想一下你上次进行的高难度测验
Think back to the last difficult test you had to take.
似乎你开始变得紧张，身体开始变得紧绷
It’s likely that as you became more nervous, the tension in your body increased,
呼吸也快速的急促起来
and your breathing quickly sped up.
我们的呼吸越浅，就会有越少的氧气能抵达我们的大脑，注意力也越难集中
The shallower our breath, the less oxygen that reaches our brain, and the harder it is to focus.
我们对身体压力的回应就像一场放学后的高节奏的曲棍球赛事
What’s our response to physical stress, like a fast-paced game of field hockey after school?
当我们对身体施加压力时，我们的肌肉需要更多能量和氧气
As we exert pressure on our bodies, the muscles require a great deal of energy and demand additional oxygen.
我们急喘的气息会反冲
Our panting breath starts to kick in,
它们增加压力从而引诱更多空气及氧气进入身体
which creates pressure to draw in more air and oxygen to the body,
控制体温让身体自然地冷静下来
and regulates body temperature by allowing it to cool down naturally.
这些不是仅有的我们的呼吸被影响或取代的时刻
These aren’t the only times our breathing is affected or altered.
回想上一次你感到生气或激动。
Think about the last time you got angry or emotional.
生气在身体里制造了新陈代谢的反应
Anger creates a metabolic reaction in the body,
释放物质使我们的体温温度升高
which stresses it out and heats up our internal temperature.
你之前见过有谁失去理智吗
Have you ever seen anyone lose their cool?
总体而言，这就是，我们在长时间的外部压力下呼吸.的后果
Ultimately, if we’re breathing under stress over long periods of time, there are consequences.
当身体细胞无法获取到它们所需的足够氧气时
When the cells of a body aren’t getting the oxygen they need,
身体可获取的养分逐渐减少，毒素也开始在血液中积累
the nutrients available to the body decrease and toxins build up in the blood.
这就是为什么在氧气稀薄或缺氧环境下会增加癌细胞的出现几率
It is thought that a hypoxic, or oxygen-poor environment, can increase cancerous cells.
值得庆幸的是，我们对自身呼吸的控制远超我们实际认知
The good news is that we can control our breath much more than we realize.
也就是说，我们可以从质和量上同时提高我们的呼吸能力
This means we can increase both the quality and quantity of the breath.
呼吸的科学研究已经存在了数千年
The science of breathing has been around for thousands of years,
从印度的古瑜伽修行者到现在的治疗病人的呼吸疗养专家
from ancient yogis in India to respiratory therapists working with patients today.
他们都会告诉你，对于帮你改进改善你的呼吸，他有特殊的本领
Both would tell you that there are specific techniques that will help you improve your breathing.
呼吸说到底其实是讲空气从高压区转移到低压区环境的过程
Breathing is all about moving air from a higher-pressure to a lower-pressure environment.
呼吸越频繁氧气就越充足
More breath means more oxygen,
最终将为我们的血液和细胞提供更多的可用营养
and ultimately a greater amount of nutrients that’s available for our cells and blood.
当我们叹气的时候会自然的这样做
We naturally do this when we let out a big sigh.
改变正进入肺部的空气压力是改变呼吸的主要方式
Changing the air pressure going into the lungs is one of the main ways to alter breathing.
当我们咳嗽，打喷嚏或者打嗝的时候，我们的身体会你懂的进行上述的调整
Our body automatically does this when we cough, sneeze, or have the hiccups.
让我们进行一个简单的实验
Here’s a simple experiment.
用你的右手拇指塞住你的右鼻腔
Close off your right nostril with your right thumb.
只用左鼻腔进行呼气吸气
Breathe in and out just through the left nostril.
感受吸入空气相比往常困难的程度变化
Notice how much harder it is to get the breath in.
你不得不集中注意力，比往常更频繁的应用隔膜和肌肉
You have to focus your attention, and use your diaphragm and muscles much more than normal.
通过减少气腔的表面积，我们增加了氧气的压强
By decreasing the surface area of the airways, you’re increasing the pressure of oxygen
使其从肺泡进去血液
moving from the alveoli to the blood.
瑜伽大师经常锻炼交替使用左右鼻腔呼吸以降低呼吸频率
Yogis often practice alternate nostril breathing to slow down the breath,
增加进氧量，激活人体交感神经
increase oxygen, and activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system,
交感神经处理身体静态下的运行
which deals with the body’s operations when it’s at rest.
让我们在进行另一个练习
Let’s try another exercise.
想想一下狗是如何呼吸的
Visualize the way a dog pants when it breathes.
现在试试做出一样的呼吸动作
Now try doing the same type of panting,
首先伸出你的舌头，然后闭上嘴巴
first with your tongue out, then with your mouth closed.
你会发现当呼气时，使用腹肌将空气推出
You will find yourself using your stomach muscles to push the air out as you exhale.
把手放在你的鼻子下边
Place your hand under your nose,
你会感觉到呼吸出来的力量
and you’ll feel the strength of the breath coming out.
因为需要隔膜和肋间肌的活跃运动，这样的故意方式较为困难
Breathing this way is hard because it requires an active movement of our diaphragm and intercostal muscles.
当我们运用在呼吸上练习的结果，我们的体温迅速变化
Our body temperature changes quickly during this exercise from the amount of pressure we are exerting on our breath.
毫无疑问，你会发现狗狗通常都是为了在热天降低体温才这样呼吸
It’s no surprise that you’ll find dogs doing this breath often to cool down on a hot day.
当我们晚上睡觉时，大脑中心的髓质确保我们保持呼吸
When we sleep at night, the medulla center of the brain makes sure that we keep breathing.
真庆幸我们用不着老想着这回事
Lucky for us we don’t have to think about it.
在白天，我们的呼吸更加脆弱
During the day, our breath is much more vulnerable,
特别是在压力或困境下
especially under stressful or difficult situations.
这就是为什么将注意力放在呼吸上更为有用
That’s why it’s helpful to pay attention to your breathing.
如果你能监视并改变你的呼吸
If you can monitor and change your breath,
你就可以从质和量上改进进去你身体的氧气量
you can improve both the quality and quantity of oxygen that enters your body.
这将缓解压力，增加活力并强化你的免疫系统
This lowers stress, increases energy, and strengthens your immune system.
所以，下次要是有人告诉你要放松一下，来次深呼吸，
So the next time someone tells you to relax and take a deep breath,
正如你所知。
you’ll know exactly why.