Over the last few years I have learned some really juicy nuggets about the breath and how to really make the most of it. So, I thought I would share them here. Two things get my attention: anything that quickly reduces stress levels; and life hacks that boost fitness by the percentages athletes dream of. How we breathe is an answer to both.
Don’t forget to breathe…
Did you know that 80% of us have email apnea1? This is where we temporarily stop breathing, or breath in a shallow way, when faced with the dreaded inbox. It is not limited to email – I caught myself with driving apnea recently. I was holding my breath when rushing to a meeting and was greeted by traffic on the A3. It’s an unconscious way of helping the brain to focus. The problem is that over time, chronic breath-holding messes with the body’s oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitric oxide levels, and also puts us into fight/flight mode. So, the upshot is that we make a stressful situation more stressful, because we don’t breathe properly.
Pressure & fuzzy brain
Something else happens when we feel under pressure. The gaps between each heartbeat become more chaotic, sending stress signals around the body2. On reaching the brain, these signals stop us being able to focus. To quote the fabulous Dr Alan Watkins ‘under pressure you lobotomize yourself’. To see how easily & quickly you can lobotomize yourself, watch Dr Watkins’ funny & superb Tedx Talk ‘Being Brilliant Every Single Day’.
So, what’s so clever about breathwork? We all know how to breathe don’t we? Well James Nestor, author of Breath says no. In fact, he says that ‘as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly’3. Do read his book as I can’t do it justice, but in the meantime, here are two things that I do. They are super easy to practise daily, and are so powerful.
Rhythmic breathing
I start every EFT session with rhythmic or HeartMath® breathing. It relaxes my clients, gets them out of their head and prepares them gently to start work. HeartMath® Institute has shown in more than 300 peer-reviewed or independent studies that the heart sends more information to the brain than the other way round (let that sink in for a while), and by shifting the rhythm of the heart with breathwork we calm the nervous system, reduce blood pressure and improve brain function4.
There is much talk about Mindfulness to help reduce anxiety and stress levels. I know Mindfulness is effective, but in the heat of the moment, it can be really hard to focus on your left foot. The simplicity of counting & breathing is much easier. Mindfulness & meditation can come later.
My simple breathwork practice
- Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, close the eyes, place your hands on your heart
- Roll the shoulders, scan the body for any tension – particularly stomach, jaw, tongue, neck/shoulders. Consciously relax those parts of the body
- Become aware of your breath – watch it for a few breaths as it slows down
- Breathe in for a count of 6, and out for a count of 6
- Keep repeating this, imagining the breath coming into your heart space (under your hands) and out of your heart space
- Notice your ribs expanding, contracting.
Do for 8-10 breaths minimum, and up to 10-20 minutes. Carry on for as long as you need, to feel that coherence. You will notice the energy leaving your head and coming into your body and your nervous system calming down.
You can do this as many times a day as you feel you need it. It is nice to start and end the day with breathwork. Use it whenever you feel uptight or anxious – before an important meeting, sitting in annoying traffic, whenever you feel triggered. Just put your hand on your heart and count your breathing – in for 6 and out for 6.
There are other techniques, including 4-7-8 breathing, following a similar approach, but I find this one nice and simple.
Shut your mouth
When breathing? But bigger hole means more oxygen, right? Wrong. Here are just some of the benefits of breathing (in and out!) through the nose3:
- We absorb about 18% more oxygen
- It’s reported to cut athletic exertion by 50%
- It reduces snoring by training tissues in the airways to flex and stay open
- We lose less water – mouth breathing means we lose 40% more water
- It reduces bad breath
- It helps boost immune function, mood & sexual function.
It is hard to break the mouth breathing habit when exercising, but with practice it gets easier. Just practise for a few minutes more of your workout, each time. It is odd at first, given our habit of gasping for air, but try it. Just knowing you are absorbing so much more oxygen will help you relax and trust. Focus on breathing in through the nose at first and continue to breathe out through the mouth. When this starts to feel easier, close your mouth for the whole breath.
What else?
There really is so much more, as you may know if you follow James Nestor, Max Strom or Wim Hof. Or if you are fascinated by free divers who manage breath holds of more than 24 minutes, or if you already practise pranayama breathing. The SOMA® breath5 community run workshops to practise harnessing the power of breathing, including breath holds. I have just started on my SOMA®️ breath journey and have done a couple of workshops which were simultaneously energising and relaxing. If you are interested, I would wholeheartedly recommend Rachel Whitehead (releasefindpeace@yahoo.com). She has the most incredible voice, uses amazing music and her energy is beautiful.
So, I have shared talks and books that have fascinated me so far. I still have so much more to learn & make breathing better as a habit each day, as I strive to ‘get high on my own supply’.
As always, do get in touch if you would like to talk more.
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