We usually breathe without awareness.  Our heart and lungs (our breathing apparatus) operate involuntarily, except when we deliberately alter the breath to accomodate increased effort.  When the mind focuses on the breath it can become a powerful vehicle for consciousness. See Benefits of Breathing.

Breathing has specific qualities – texture, contours, depth, rhythm -- as it rises and falls, as well as variations in speed. The average number of respirations per minute is abouty 10 for men and 12 for women. But that normal rate, as well as the quality, can change when we feel intense emotions.

Observe your breath when tense, angry or discouraged, and you will find it reflects the prevailing mood – tight, constricted, labored, heavy, listless.  In anxious or agitated depression, breathing may become more rapid or shallow. Breathing practices increase awareness and can stabilize mood, energy, and affect. There are many different kinds of breathing exericses.  Click on Inner Body Breathing

For breathing practices to improve positive mind, click on Vital Breath, Calm Breath, Resilient Breath , or Creative Breath.