Practicing breathwork can help you reach your goals
Many of us have had that experience of getting to a scenic, natural setting and right away, we breathe a sigh of relief. The interplay between the sights and sounds along with the changes in our breathing grounds us and helps us feel more at ease. But when nature is not at our disposal, we can consciously change our breathing patterns and reap similar benefits. Practicing conscious breathing has been shown to improve our physical health, endurance, executive function, memory for motor skills and emotional wellbeing. If we are patient and go at it with a growth mindset, we will improve without a lot of physical or mental exertion.
...as we inhale, we ask the question "am I safe?" and as we exhale we get the answer, "I am safe".
The connection between breathing and mental wellbeing is well established. The nose is deeply connected to the brain and the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the rest of the body is known to be influenced by changes in the breath and vice versa. A balanced nervous system is not just about being relaxed- it's about being prepared for action but able to recognize when danger has passed. The inhale brings us into a sympathetic stress state and our exhale shifts us back into our parasympathetic rest and digest state. I like to think of breathing as a constant question and answer- as we inhale, we ask the question "am I safe?" and as we exhale we should hopefully get the answer, "I am safe".
Mindful practices that use breath work like yoga and tai chi can shift us into a more centred state. But doing daily practice is not realistic for most people. 5- 10 of minutes per day of conscious breathing is doable and will improve our lung capacity and rhythm throughout our day, allowing for more efficient breathing throughout our lives.
Here are some basics when it comes to breathing efficiency:
Learn about breathing anatomy so that you can visualize what is happening when you're practicing breathing
Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine
Pay attention to your shoulders, see if you can relax them... even more than you think!
Practice breathing at a rate of 6 breaths per minute (try this video)
Pay attention to the air as it's entering and exiting the nostrils
Pay attention to where the air is going as it enters the lungs
Work on relaxing your belly so that your diaphragm can descend further down as you inhale drawing in more air and reaching deeper into the lungs
See if you can relax the pelvic floor on the inhale and contract on the exhale, this will allow the organs to descend lower giving more space for the diaphragm
Explore the sensation of bringing the naval toward the spine and slightly up on the exhale- this helps with diaphragmic control
I learned a lot about breathing efficiency from an online course on Insight Timer. While this app has a lot of free content, I believe the course is behind a pay wall but well worth the money, I highly recommend it: Breathing: Science & Practice of Breathwork by Inge Wolsink, PhD .
I would love to hear your experiences with breath work so send me an email or comment below.
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