A bunch of us were sitting around talking the other day about what our particular talents might be. At first many confessed to not being good at anything, but it eventually came out that some were good musicians and singers, others were good at sports or gardening, and still others could cook or quilt or make things out of wood. When I complained that I still couldn’t think of anything I was good at, they said, “Oh silly, you’re good at yoga!”

But the truth is, I’m really not that good at yoga—at least the physical yoga poses. I can’t do even the most basic of the standard “yoga tricks” like headstand or a really deep backbend. But I am, I had to admit, a really good breather.

The yogis say that if you can control your breath, you can control your mind and your emotions, and this has huge appeal for me because really, something better be able to control this crazy mind of mine.

I used to think it was the other way around though, that my emotions and mental state controlled my breathing. When I was upset, my breath got short and panty; when I was relaxing on the beach, my breath was slow and deep.

But then I started to do little experiments. While relaxing on the beach, I’d deliberately change my breathing from long, slow, and deep to short, fast, and shallow. I would instantly become agitated and start roaming the boardwalk in search of funnel cake.

Then, in states of extreme agitation, like being late and getting stuck behind the slowest driver in the universe, I would unclench my teeth, stop growling, and take deep, slow inhalations and long, slow exhalations. I still arrived late, but there were no claw marks on the dashboard.

In yoga practice these breathing techniques are called pranayama and there are a ton of them: humming bee breath, hissing breath, bellows breath, swooning breath, breath to cleanse the frontal brain (!), and my personal favorite, ocean breath.

I recently began using a neti pot to clean my sinuses and my ocean breath has now become tsunami breath. I am so proud of it. At the doctor recently, I finally got a chance to show off my superior breathing skills. As part of the exam, she placed that cold metal thing on my back and asked me to take a deep breath. I almost asked her what kind of breath she would like, but refrained because really, nobody likes a show off. I quickly scanned my vast arsenal and brought out the big gun: ocean breath.

My inhale was long, slow, deep and capacious. It took an eternity. I tried to determine if that look on her face was boredom or awe. I went with awe. “Exhale please,” she said. I unleashed my tsunami. It unfolded slowly and deliberately. I was in complete control of the velocity as well as the duration. I almost invited her to take a seat because this might take a while. She cut me off just as I was about to ease into the shore.

I was crestfallen. She had no response. Nothing. No “Wow! Your lungs are amazing!” She was clearly unimpressed with my pranayama. I thought, “What good is it to be an expert breather if you can’t even impress your doctor, someone who listens to countless lungs a day and should be able to tell an ordinary pair from an extraordinary pair?”

Nevertheless, I still practice my breathing everyday. I like the control it gives me over my mind, my emotions, and my reactivity.

I would like it even better if it gave me control over your mind and reactivity. Yeah you, the one ahead of me driving 35 in a 55 zone. Move!

Kathleen Thompson is the owner of Main Street Yoga in Mansfield (www.yogamansfield.com) where she teaches yoga, meditation and breathing.