Breath, as Taught by a Child

Not long ago, I became a father. In the still moments that followed his birth I found myself watching something I had read about many times but never truly witnessed. The simple act of a baby breathing. As he slept, his lips remained gently closed, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He breathed only through his nose—effortlessly, perfectly—just as nature intended.

Life is a continuous series of breaths, from the first faint inhalation at birth to the final exhalation we call death. The yogis urge us to look at children, who have not yet acquired the bad habits of adulthood. They teach that a healthy child breathes naturally and correctly, before any interference from faulty habits. And there it was before me. Live demonstration. Mouth closed, breath silent. Only while watching my newborn son did these words move from philosophy into living truth. He had not been taught to breathe; he simply knew.

As we grow older, many of us forget this natural rhythm. We begin to breathe through the mouth. We let unfiltered, unwarmed air rush directly into the lungs. The yogis warn that this habit weakens vitality. That it lets dust, cold, and impurities in. That it wastes vital force. Nose breathing, by contrast, filters, warms, and refines the air. It conserves energy and nourishes the system.

There are moments, of course, when intense exertion demands temporary mouth breathing. This as a necessity during extreme effort. But outside those moments, the rule remains simple… Return to the nose.

Lying there beside my son, I realized I was not teaching him anything. He was teaching me. In his peaceful sleep, he reminded me of a wisdom the yogis preserved and that nature never forgot. My hope is that he carries this simple habit throughout his life. And my intention is to remember it myself, one conscious breath at a time.