The Breath is a Gateway...
Utilizing the breath to open a door into your nervous system; a quick mindfulness practice
At times it may seem like we have no control over the way our nervous system functions. Experiencing something like anxiety can feel really helpless. We do have the capability to make changes, however, by beginning to master our breathing. In this sense, the breath is a door to our nervous system. By adjusting the pace of our inhale and exhale, in addition to the depth of our breath, we can directly affect our heart rate and ultimately our state of relaxation.
Do you ever pay attention to how you breathe?
Many of us breathe at a fairly rapid pace, keeping the breath high in our chest and shoulders. You can test this if you want. Count how many times you complete a full breath cycle (one inhale and one exhale) for a full minute. For context, the average breathing rate for an adult ranges from 12-20 breaths per minute. How did you do? Under stress, particularly when feeling anxious, our breath rate often rises and becomes shallow. This is typical of a sympathetic nervous system in a state of activation. By deliberately altering the way we breathe we can shift our nervous system into a more relaxed (parasympathetic) state. Throughout history, people have controlled a physiological response through breath, such as during yoga and meditations, to cultivate vitality and healing.
Slowing our breath, ideally to a pace of 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out, brings balance to our nervous system. Pay attention to where the air goes when you breathe in. Do your shoulders rise? Conversely, does the air fill the bottom of your lungs pushing your belly out slightly? The nerves at the bottom of our lungs are connected with our parasympathetic nervous system. Activating these nerves, by bringing your breath to the bottom of your lungs, can prompt a state of rest and relaxation as well as end up lowering blood pressure. If you want more information regarding the science behind this I highly recommend Stephen Elliot’s The New Science of Breath. Another great read on the breath in general is James Nestor’s Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.
A practice: Lie on the floor with a small object or book on your abdomen, just above your belly button. Breathe in and notice the object rise as you do so. It takes some practice to remind the body to breathe in this way. (Babies do it naturally!) There is a muscle called the diaphragm that lies horizontally under your ribcage. As you fill the bottom of your lungs with air the diaphragm moves down, raising your abdomen. Let yourself slow the breath as much as possible, seeing if you can get to the six-second count. If you can’t slow your breath down, don’t worry, this isn’t a test. Just notice where your breath goes, and see if you can focus on bringing it to the bottom of your lungs.
Please be aware: Sometimes those with a trauma history, or who experience panic, can struggle with this breathing practice. If it triggers anxiety in any way, please STOP. It’s okay if the only thing that happens is that you notice that the breath work is difficult for you!
Expert Tip: Please begin by practicing this when you are already feeling rather calm. It is a good idea to get into a practice of using this technique when you are not stressed, before trying to do it when you are in a state of high stress.