“If breath and life are synonymous; perhaps one who masters breath can master life itself”
- Resilient Practice
Breath is synonymous with life.
It is the first thing we do after we are born and the last thing that we do before we die.
When we are in crisis, we tell ourselves to “breathe.”
Breathing is clearly necessary for survival, but did you know that practising conscious breathing as part of your daily ritual can hugely improve your wellbeing?
The ability to breathe consciously is a core skill and a prerequisite to improving resilience.
When we are under pressure, it is common to fall into the habit of taking tiny gulping breaths that give us the minimum amount of gaseous exchange for us to function. We do not need only to function. We need to be fully nourished. We are far more efficient when we are optimising our breath.
Rapid breathing or hyperventilation causes “blowing off” of the normal amounts of carbon dioxide in the lungs, reducing levels in the blood. It is the building up of that carbon dioxide that drives us to breathe. Removing the drive to breathe causes panic attacks.
When we exercise to the point of exhaustion we use the muscles in the top of the shoulders and neck act as accessory muscles for breathing by fixing the arms in some way. This encourages large volumes of airflow into the tops of the lungs helping us to recover. However using only the upper lobes of the lungs, when we are in ‘panic’ mode robs us of the beautiful practise of diaphragmatic breathing that stimulates that vagus nerve and down-regulates our fight/flight response thereby reducing stress.
We have written on many occasions about mindfulness. This is an anxiety reducing practice that involves bringing thoughts away from past events or a scary imagined future into the present moment where all is well.
Breath is a thing of the present.
As soon as we bring our attention to the breath, we are in the here and now. We cannot breathe for the past of future and so our attention returns to the here and now.
Try this:
We have shared many techniques for conscious breathing, each of which have their own individual benefits and all of which are detailed below.
Give them a try in different situations. Why not make a note of their effects so that you can return to them again when you are in need of their medicine?
Breath of Fire (resilientpractice.co.uk) - Energising and cleansing
One Hundred Breaths (resilientpractice.co.uk) - Improving body chemistry and enhancing mood
The Cooling Breath (resilientpractice.co.uk) – cooling the temperature and the mind
Box Breathing (resilientpractice.co.uk) – reducing stress and pain, calming the body and mind, used by the Navy Seals
Lion's Breath (resilientpractice.co.uk) – letting go, building confidence, boosting vitality and releasing tension
Bellows Breathing (resilientpractice.co.uk) – weight loss, metabolism, lung function and vitality
Nadishodhanam Breathing (resilientpractice.co.uk) – calming and balancing the body and mind
Humming Bee Breathing (resilientpractice.co.uk) – respiratory and nasal health, memory, concentration and cognitive function, response to change
For more insights on breath and a host of tools and techniques for exploring the Self and improving your human experience see our book:
Yorumlar