the breath
life begins with a breath, ends with a breath and everything in between lays in between a breath.
Your breath is a fundamental indicator of your health, and acts as the bridge between the body and the mind.
your body is constantly communicating with you in the language of the breath and so it is in your best interest to learn how to understand so you can communicate back,
slow down your breath, slow down the stress response
inhale.
each inhale triggers an arousal state via your central nervous system.
This is demonstrated by natural markers; increase in heart rate, constriction of vessels, and an increase in blood pressure.
these all reveal a relationship between your heart rate and breath rate.
generally speaking a high heart rate is a biomarker for a certain level of stress which is reflective in ones breath. chest-dominant, shallow, sporadic with shoulders riding up with each inhale are all signs of a sympathetic state (fight/flight).
exhale.
to balance the biological responses of the inhale comes an equal exhale.
quite the opposite happens when the body exhales; heart rate slows, blood vessels expand, and a drop in blood pressure.
Essentially the physical body has permission to relax through the exhale.
An agent of parasympathetic (rest & restoration) significance is stimulated with each exhale; the vagus nerve. Having a high vagal tone is associated with overall wellness.
try this
There are many breathing techniques that focus on strengthening the vagus nerve via a high vagal tone and the one thing they all have in common is a strong focus on the exhale. Your exhale is the key you need to cool-off from a stress response. Think of when you finish an intense set of lifting weights; you’re puffed, and the first thing your body does to rebalance itself is to try and catch its breath in order to restore balance in the force (nervous system).
An effective and remarkably simple technique to apply is called box breathing.
you can apply this technique at any place at any time during times of extreme stress. I use this in my long ice bath exposures to draw my focus away from the sensation of intense cold.
complete one round four - five times (1.5 - 2 mins) daily for optimal benefits.
brain boosting breathing
Make sure you are lying down or sitting comfortably in a safe space where it is okay for you to close your eyes for a few minutes.
place your right hand over your belly button and your left hand over your heart.
begin to tune into how your body is breathing.
Hug your breath with your awareness. Become aware of the dominant expression in you right now - is it a thought? An emotion? Or perhaps a physical sensation? Just observe, there’s no need to take control. Simply surrender.
Using your nose, gently inhale to five seconds. Make sure that your belly is expanding as you inhale. This is why your right hand is there, to act as a guide, to cultivate a deeper bodily awareness. Gently push your hand away with your inhale..
Once your breath is at the top, take a slight pause, turn the breath around, and out of pursed lips let that breath simply fall out of you for five seconds.
Repeat. ideally for just five minutes twice a day.
Notice any changes in the way you were feeling at the start? Hopefully, you should feel more aligned, a deeper sense of feeling “at home” in your body, more relaxed and perhaps you’ll be harbouring some saliva in your mouth. These are all positive signs.
Note: if your left hand moves in this exercise (the hand on your chest) then ease up on the gas slightly and return your focus to your right hand.
