Breathing Matters > FAQs

What is the ideal ratio of inspiration to expiration?
Our breathing consists of three components - inhalation, exhalation and an exhalation pause. The exhalation phase is made up by exhalation and exhalation pause together. Yogic medicine teaches that held exhalation is bad for the heart but there is no scientific basis for this.

The ratio of inspiration to expiration will change depending on what one is doing.
The exhalation phase, which is an important component of relaxation, is generally shortened as the breathing rate increases. A prolonged expiration phase relaxes the body. The only scientific data that I have seen shows that when exhalation is twice as long as inspiration physiological measures show that the body is relaxing.