In The Joy of Movement, Kelly McGonigal has a fascinating passage about how loud breathing during yoga might be a critical component of social bonding and group flow:
“Studies show that yoga, like dancing, can create social bonds. … The breath becomes the beat that drives the flow of poses, and the sound of the group inhaling and exhaling in unison provides a satisfying sensory feedback.”
Now, I’m clearly a big fan of quiet breathing. Traditional yoga practices are too. But perhaps loud breathing goes beyond respiratory physiology, helping promote social and emotional connections?
It’s an interesting idea to contemplate…
P.S. HHPF recently shared a news article about brains syncing during group activities, which inspired me to revisit this passage from Kelly McGonigal. It seems like matching breaths would be the absolute best way to sync peoples brain waves 🧠