Change your perspective--breath by breath.
Why breathwork?
"I have been a stressed out airline employee, retail employee, self employee, and every personal decision was founded in anxiety.
Learning that breathing differently could affect any difficult moment so immediately, simply, & positively was mind-blowing.
I wish we were commonly taught
as kids about the nervous system
and how to care for it.
Maybe that's changing."
What is breathwork?
Breathing is generally an automatic process your body does on its own. But we can direct our breathing if we wish. We all do this as kids playing games of breath-holding contests or underwater headstands. You might hold your breath when you come near a trash dumpster or breathe in more deeply and quickly on purpose to savor what you are cooking.
So why mess with the breath?
How deep or shallow we breathe and how frequently we inhale and exhale doesn't just keep us alive with oxygen. There are many physiological mechanisms happening in our bodies with each breath.
One of these critical functions is relaying information throughout the body's systems about the state of our environment. If we wish to act a certain way in a situation, we can consciously breathe in different patterns to change how we react and respond.
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For example, if you have just nearly been in a car accident, your breathing is likely quick and shallow as you cope with everything that just happened, almost happened, could have happened, and needs to happen now to regroup back to normal activity.
This swirling of thoughts affects you physically, and you may find focusing to finish your drive very difficult. You are anxious, misdirected, maybe angry, maybe ashamed. Your blood pressure is higher; your vision is narrower; your muscles are tense. And now you may not react appropriately to avoid another disaster because you are so distracted by the previous.
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But if you know how to use breathing to signal to your body that everything is safe to continue, all your senses can come back together and carry on under less stress. You can pull over, take 5-15 minutes, breathe, and arrive at your destination safely because you have changed your mood, your stress, your focus.
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Another useful example is finding yourself in an argument. If you are upset with someone and feel hot-headed, you may make statements or take actions you really regret later. Or the opposite could be true: perhaps you need to be strong or defend yourself then and there.
When you take a moment to breathe with intention, you create space for your mind to be aware of its own thoughts. Am I scared? Am I furious? What thoughts are repeating like a broken record right now? What actions serve me best to change this situation immediately?
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If you never examine your thinking, your body will never respond differently when you wish it too. And the same is true in reverse: if you never question why your body has certain feelings in certain circumstances, your thoughts will always follow the same directions leading to familiar outcomes.
If you notice patterns in your life that you don't like but seem inevitable, it's possible you can use breathwork to change how you respond and begin to dismantle unhealthy or destructive thoughts and behaviors.
Periodically each of us has to face something uncertain--an unexpected medical issue, a road-rager who has followed to the next stoplight, a tough conversation with a child, a sad decision about that furry best friend.
Your body will react instinctually when faced with making a split second reflex. This is a very useful response when needed. But in most situations, there is a time. That time allows for you to pause, breathe, reassess, and work towards a better outcome for that moment.
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And that's just a fraction of how breathing differently can positively affect your day and your entire life.
Supportive Research
(1) The Bohr Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr_effect
(2) Vagus Nerve & diaphragmatic breathing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189422/
(3) Buteyko Breathing & asthma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14752538
(4) Meditation & Longevity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3057175/
(5) Diving / Breath Holding Capacity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24700159/
(6) Is lung packing dangerous? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681964/
(7) Yoga Breathing / Respiratory Health & Capacity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5496990/
(8) Whiskey Breathing Anxiety
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00467/full
(9) Sexual Dysfunction Due to Nervous System Imbalance:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11157
(10) Sexual Dysfunction / HRV / Breathing:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25963394
(11) Nasal Cycle Research
EEG signatures change during unilateral Yogi nasal breathing https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-04461-8.pdf
72% of people show Nasal Cycle patterns: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/609283/
NO concentration in less dominant nostril: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11568613/
Nostril preferred breathing & the ANS effects: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8063359/
Nervous System Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5053491/
More details NC explanation: https://www.rhinologyonline.org/Rhinology_online_issues/manuscript_16.pdf
Right vs Left nostril research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3978938/
NC at Night
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12888318/
(12) Synchronized Breathing (while running)
https://www.outsideonline.com/2416993/synchronized-breathing-running-study
(13) 6 Breaths / Min (Resonant / Coherent Breath) & HRV
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5575449/
(14) Brain activity doesn’t decrease < 5 min breath hold
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27188878/
(15) Decreased pain > Breath holding (apnea) + baroceptors
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25930190/
Heart rate > down / blood pressure > up
(16) Benefits of hypoxia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3361916/
(17) Breathing at Altitude
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3495772/
(18) Yoga Breathing for COPD
https://journals.lww.com/jcrjournal/Abstract/2009/03000/Efficacy_and_Tolerability_of_Yoga_Breathing_in.10.aspx
(19) Why We Sigh? (about every 5 min)
(20) Vagus Nerve + Enteric Nervous System / Brain - Gut
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323733763_Vagus_Nerve_as_Modulator_of_the_Brain-Gut_Axis_in_Psychiatric_and_Inflammatory_Disorders
(21) Breath Control Can Change Life
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30245619/
(22) Uvula Deviation / Vagal Tone
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4239699/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537171/
(23) NO Release Humming
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12119224
(24) Resonant Frequency Breathing (6/min) & HRV+
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5575449/
(25) Cold Exposure to Side of Neck = HRV Benefits
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6334714/
(26) Improved Quality of Life (QOL) - Kidney Disease
Better sleep, less pain, lower blood glucose
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725169/#!po=16.0714
(27) Controlled Hyperventilation and Athletic Training
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.700757/full
(28) Long-haul COVID & Vagus Nerve dysfunction
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9147759/
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220212/Study-points-to-vagus-nerve-dysfunction-as-a-central-pathophysiological-feature-of-long-COVID.aspx