When I was in college, I had the great pleasure of studying in Granada, Spain for a year. I loved the culture, met wonderful people, ate great food, but I took up the dreaded habit of . . . I confess . . . smoking cigarettes. It was short lived, though still difficult to quit. I created a little joke around times I would smoke, saying that I was practicing “conscious breathing.” Inhale, exhale, breathe in, breathe out. Fortunately, I now practice and teach a healthy approach to “conscious breathing.” Inhale, exhale, sans smoke. (If you do smoke, however, you might try noticing the sensation of the breath in the body with each inhalation and exhalation. Let me know what happens.)
Ah, the Breath
Adults breathe about 12-20 times a minute. That’s about 17,000 to 30,000 times a day. The rhythm of our breathing varies considerably depending on our activities, our thoughts, and our feelings. It quickens with physical exercise or emotional upset and it slows down during periods of rest or relaxation. When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up, and as you exhale, your heart rate slows down.
Breathing is an incredibly powerful ally and teacher. Luckily, we don’t have to remind ourselves to breath, but paying more attention to our breath can help us manage or regulate stress and have better health.
We know that stress impacts our physiology, including our breathing pattern, often causing us to hold our breath or take short, shallow breaths. During a stressful or painful time, we may hear, “Breathe!” So the person inhales deeply and holds their breath or exhales only partially. And then back to shallow breaths, consumed by the pain or stress. Shallow breathing is the body’s natural reaction to stressful triggers – whether external (a nasty email) or internal (a self-defeating thought).
But what if you stayed with a conscious inhalation and a conscious exhalation for a few cycles? You can try it now and see what you notice. Go ahead. I’ll wait. 🙂
The Parasympathetic Nervous System — “Rest and Digest”
When we breathe deeply or simply breathe normally, with awareness, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. The heart rate and blood pressure decrease, digestion increases, respiration decreases, the body calms down, this may even calm the mind (though that is not always the case). Attention on the breath can aid focus, connection, emotional regulation (not flying off the handle, for instance). The parasympathetic system is often called the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system. A deep breath when in a stressful situation or preparing for a challenging situation can help initiate calm and enable better performance.
The sympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is activated when we’re triggered by a stressful situation. It activates the release of stress hormones (including cortisol and adrenaline) in the body. It’s often referred to as the flight or flight response. This response, too, is critical to our survival, performance, and well-being. Moving between stress activation and relaxation is a normal cycle of the human process. But if we get stuck on stress activation, chronic stress, which many people do, we can take action to calm our nervous system. Using the breath is one such tool — it’s free, always accessible, and requires no additional equipment! 🙂
Conscious Breathing Practice — Let’s Try It! Watch the video, or read the practice below.
- Take a moment to notice that your breath right now, as it is, without altering it. Notice where (if) you feel the movement of the breath in the body. Is it in the nostrils, the chest, the belly, the back? No judgment, just curious observation.
- Now, inhale slowly through the nose to the count of 4 (like you’re smelling a flower) and exhale slowly through the mouth to the count of 4 (like blowing out a candle). Do this for 3 cycles of breath. Do you notice movement of the body as a result of breathing?
- Now, back to breathing normally.
What did you notice? Did you notice the movement in the body? Any sense of calm? Or anxiety? Sometimes when we first start noticing the breath, guiding our awareness to the body, some anxiety may arise. Be patient, kind with yourself. If you’re breathing, you’re on the right path.
Applying Conscious Breathing to Daily Life
Begin to notice the sensation of the breath in the body at different times in your day. When you sit down at a meeting, talk to a colleague, wake up in the morning, or lay your head on the pillow at night, notice the breath moving in and out of the body. Feel stress? Irritation? Anxiety? Try ‘conscious breathing’.
Beginning to put awareness in the body via the breath is a simple step towards overall well-being. It is a foundational tool that allows us to focus and attend to what we need to with care, calm, enabling optimal performance.
Moving between spending energy and renewing energy can help us live an active, engaged, healthy life!
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To learn more:
- Workshops for you and your Organization
- Schedule a free 20-minute Chat with Terre Passero, founder of Mindful Stress Management
- YouTube for guided mindfulness practices and talks about stress, the brain, and the body