There is nothing new in the concept of taking a few deep breaths to help calm the mind and body. However, over the past two years, breathwork classes have been held at gyms and spas nationwide, as well as online via sites such as thebreathingroom.co.uk, specific for those who want immediate stress relief. I teach breathing techniques and techniques. .. Believers claim that training themselves to breathe more effectively has significantly improved their physical and mental health.
Breathguide and yoga instructor Luke Maxwinnie (breathguide.co) has been in constant interest with breathwork classes and one-on-one sessions for seven years. However, since the pandemic began, the demand for his online classes and one-on-one sessions is far beyond his control, with an interest in practices such as mindfulness and breathwork as a means. It is increasing. To fight anxiety – with a natural interest in breathing when we were under Covid’s control.
He says that when people understand the science behind breathing, the benefits make sense. As he explains, “the nervous system has two main branches: the sympathetic nerve, which is the fight-or-flight mode, and the parasympathetic nerve, which is the rest and recovery mode. How we breathe. Is an indicator of where we are. You can also control where we are by changing the way we breathe. Rapid breathing from the mouth to the chest indicates whether to fight or escape, and the nose. Slow breathing from the abdomen to the abdomen indicates rest. “
In his 2020 book, Breath: A New Science of Lost Art, science journalist James Nestor discussed how humans transitioned from natural breathing through the nose to chronic mouth breathing. He attributed this to a modern diet of softly processed foods, with less need to chew, weak jaw muscles, and gradual changes in mouth structure due to jaw receding. thinking about. His research, which has been conducted for over 10 years, has been associated with increased conditions such as sniffing mouth breathing, sleep aspiration, asthma, autoimmune disorders, allergies, and by teaching himself to breathe through the nose. It cites a scientist at Stanford University who suggests that health will improve.
As Maxwinnie sees, these physiological reasons for mouth breathing are exacerbated by external stimuli that can lead to stress when we breathe naturally and rapidly from the mouth. “When you breathe through your nose, you automatically breathe deep into the diaphragm, which helps to massage the parasympathetic nerves of the nervous system or the stray nerves, which are the main components of the resting branches, to make you feel faster and more restful. “
In addition, the presence of nitric oxide in the nasal passages further relaxes blood vessels and airways, providing initial protection against bacteria and viruses, making breathing through the nose even stronger.
Biochemical exchange, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body, is also the key to determining which neural state we are most likely to be in. Because carbon dioxide allows oxygen to be metabolized by the body, “says McSwiney. “Unless you have some breathing problems, you will always have 95-99% blood oxygen levels, regardless of how you breathe, but how you breathe affects your carbon dioxide levels and how well they work. It re-metabolizes oxygen. Especially if you are breathing fast from your mouth to your chest, you will continue to reject and have almost no carbon dioxide in your system, so you will not have time to accumulate. That is not the case. It will absorb it very well. So the old advice for people who have a panic attack is to blow the paper bag and spit it out. It is to help produce carbon dioxide. “
Carbon dioxide not only acts as a catalyst for oxygen absorption in this way, but also relaxes blood vessels and airways, makes breathing easier, and allows blood to flow more freely. The slower and deeper you breathe, the better your ability to retain carbon dioxide. You can also hold your breath and practice breathing, or make your exhalation longer than inhalation to keep it in your body longer.
For Charlotte Semler, who co-founded the natural fragrance brand Verden in the midst of a pandemic last year, guided breathwork provided a valuable tool to help manage anxiety during stressful times. “I tried the meditation app at first, but it helped,” she says. “But I felt like I wasn’t doing it right or making the most of it. I found it very difficult to” empty my mind, “said the meditation instructor. The brain continued to “focus on breathing”. I kept thinking, what should I do? “
With a little online research, she understood the rabbit hole in the breathwork technique and the physiology behind its practice. “I was surprised at how much I didn’t know,” she says. “Of course, like everyone else, I thought I knew how to breathe, but I didn’t know what the difference would be if I closed my mouth and breathed through my nose. At first, it was difficult to breathe into the diaphragm. “
After starting 10 minutes of practice every morning and night, she began to notice an improvement in the length of time she could hold her breath and an extension of exhalation within a few weeks. Eighteen months later, she continued her breathwork practice and helped design the free guided breathing app VerdenBreathwork with simple exercises to help others start their practice. “When I do that, I sleep much deeper, and I think it really helps with general pain and pain,” she says. “I’m doing yoga to relieve myalgia, but I’m surprised that practicing breathing can get the same benefits with much less effort, and it’s much easier than meditation. I think it gives very similar results. From a mental health perspective, it’s the easiest thing you can do to feel good. “
According to Maxwinnie and the people he worked with, it is “life before and after breathing consciousness. The difference is huge. This is an important tool.” Those who want to soak their toes to help with general physical and mental health. For, he suggests establishing daily exercises starting with 5 minutes of breathwork 2-3 times a day that you can do lying in bed. There are three exercises to try. Remember to breathe through your nose.
4-7-8
It helps to calm yourself when you are feeling stressed or anxious.
Inhale for 4 seconds. Pause for 7 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds.
5-5-5-5
To help you fall asleep and sleep deeper.
Inhale for 5 seconds. Hold for 5 seconds. Exhale for 5 seconds. Hold for 5 seconds
7-7
Connect and balance the mind and body.
Inhale for 7 seconds. Exhale for 7 seconds.
To try a guided breathwork exercise, Green app