The Power of Breathing

What if I told you that you can dramatically boost your physical and mental health, reduce your inflammation, lower your stress hormones, improve your productivity, mood and concentration in just 8 short minutes with a simple life hack? And the best news is, it cost you nothing and is as easy as breathing!!

It sounds too good to be true, but it’s the simple things that often surprise us. The most up to date research in the fields of neuroscience, resilience and longevity all points in the same direction, it comes down to how we regulate our nervous system, and the easiest and most effective way to do this starts with our breath.

Multiple long term studies following thousands of people for over 20 years are suggesting that having a healthy respiratory system, and in particular having good lung function and volume are some of the best predictors for longevity.

Our breath has an element of sacredness, it is synonymous with our vitality, as without it we literally would cease to exist. We cannot say we fully control our breath – have you ever tried to actually stop breathing?! But we definitely have the ability to influence it, and that is a wonderful skill to learn in our ever-increasing pace of modern-day life.

While oxygen demands from the body can affect the rate of our breathing, the reverse is true to an even greater degree. Our breathing rate has a huge effect on our cardiovascular and nervous system. Shallow, fast and unfocused breathing is linked to anxiety, depression and high blood pressure, and can have lasting negative effects on our longevity and general wellbeing.

On the flip side, several studies have reported significantly decreased mean blood pressure during controlled slow respiration, and the magic number appears to be around 6 breaths per minute. Deep slow breaths with a steady inhalation and exhalation ratio signals to our parasympathetic nervous system via the Vagus nerve to calm the body down. This prompts the body to rest, rejuvenate and regenerate, returning us to a state of balance and wellness quickly and efficiently.

Here are some simple techniques that may help you relax, reset and re- connect your mind, body and spirit.

Sit comfortably with a tall spine and imagine stretching the crown of your head towards the sky while allowing yourself to connect your sit bones to your seat. Relax your shoulders, soften your belly, unclench your jaw and notice if any other parts of your body are holding on to tension. Aim to balance consciously letting go of the tension while staying tall through your spine. Imagine a seedling sprouting effortlessly towards the light while staying relaxed and soft through its leaves, and feeling supported and grounded through its root system.

Inhale deeply through the nose, imagining filling the lungs from the bottom up. You should feel your belly gently expand, and the side and back ribs broaden and deepen. Avoid tensing your neck and shoulders and just allow your lungs to fill like a vessel. Complete the inhale by allowing every available bit of space within you to fill with nourishing breath, including your abdomen, ribcage, chest, throat and sinuses, all the way to the tip of your nose. Imagine inhaling a warm golden light and allowing it to spread throughout your body, sending love and healing to any part of you that is in need of some extra TLC.

Notice when you can no longer add another drop of breath, and acknowledge the sensation of having your lungs completely full. Pause for a brief moment of awareness here. You may notice it a little uncomfortable at first, so don’t hold your breath, just acknowledge the space you have created within you.

Next allow yourself to fully exhale. Most of the exhalation happens naturally as the diaphragm rebounds back to its dome shape and compresses the bases of the lungs. Don’t try to force the last drops of breath out of your lungs, instead just observe and notice when no more air is leaving the lungs and the belly and shoulders are completely relaxed and soft. Again, take a moment here to acknowledge the awareness of what a complete exhale feels like, and take a moment to stay present with it. Think of the exhale like a continuous cleanse for the mind, body and spirit, sweeping out the old, tired and stagnant energy, making space for a fresh new start with every breath.

If counting helps you stay focused, you could try this easy pattern to get you into the magic zone of 6 breaths per minute. Inhale for 4 counts, observe the expansive fullness for 1. Exhale for 4 counts, observe the soft emptiness for 1. Visualise yourself interacting with the world around you through your breath. As you inhale, focus on the beauty around you, the dreams you are building and creating, anything that INSPIRES you? Hold on to that magic and observe for a moment, allowing yourself to absorb it!

As you exhale, think SURRENDER, RELEASE, LET GO, as you allow anything no longer needed in your mind, body and soul to leave freely without attachment. This can be physical – CO2, waste products (did you know the lungs play a huge part in detoxing our body?) or emotional – think grudges, toxic relationships, connections that drain your energy or anything you can think of that no longer serves you, like a good declutter and spring clean!

Try to stay with this pattern for 8 minutes and practice daily, as this has been shown to be most effective to reset the parasympathetic nervous system back to a space of calm and clarity. However even 1 or 2 minutes can have a great impact when practiced consciously throughout the day, so start where you can, and remember, sometimes it’s the simple things that can make the biggest difference.

Blessings,
Olya

PS. If you would like to improve your breath awareness why not try our gentle yoga class? We always finish with a deliciously restful yoga Nidra practice, guaranteed to leave you feeling refreshed and renewed.