The ins and outs of breathing consciously, from The Breath Guy’s new book Exhale
Breathing is easy right? It is simple, it is natural, if anything you just do it without thinking! But really, breathing holds a lot more power than we initially think of. Let’s start by the fact that while breathing is essential, there are several ways of breathing. Different breaths can calm us, stress us, warm us, help us focus and so much more! So in order to enjoy all the benefits from breathing, we need to learn how to unlock its power and master it.
Luckily, our good friend Richie Bostock, aka The Breath Guy, has just launched a new book, Exhale, and gave us a little sneak peek into some breathing techniques that we just had to share!
Far reaching breathing
The way you breathe affects just about every system in your body, from your cardiovascular system, to your endocrine system, digestive system, nervous system and immune system. Because we have conscious control over our breath, by simply learning how to use your breath as a tool (the way nature intended you to), you can quickly affect the systems and functions in your body, improving your physical and mental health and performance and emotional wellbeing.
You can think of your breath as your body’s very own in-built swiss army knife that, when you know how to use it purposefully, can within minutes help you to reduce stress and anxiety as well as increase energy levels, rebalance hormones, improve sleep and digestion, heal emotional trauma, alleviate chronic pain and improve cardiovascular health - just to name a few!
How to calm your body through breathing
A simple way to start to calm your nervous system is to consciously slow down your breathing for a few minutes which has been scientifically shown to shift your body into your parasympathetic (also known as ‘rest and digest’) response. This will cause you to feel more calm as well as promoting functions such as digestion and even help you sleep better.
You can try this with a technique called ‘coherence breathing’. Research on this technique has shown how breathing at a rate of 5 breaths per minute can help you to balance your nervous system in just a matter of minutes. Here is how to do it:
Inhale through your nose for six seconds.
Exhale through your nose for six seconds.
Repeat this cycle for at least 3 minutes, but there really is no limit as to how long you can go.
If six seconds feels like a struggle, reduce it to five or four seconds and get comfortable breathing at that rate first. You can then gradually build it up to six seconds.
Reset by sighing
Have you ever considered why you sigh? Usually you don’t do it on purpose, it just happens.
Researchers from the University of Leuven suggest that sighing acts as a physical, mental and emotional reset. In one study, the researchers observed the breathing patterns of participants for 20 minutes while sitting quietly, and noticed that the nature of the way they breathed, such as volume and speed, were different before and after a sigh.
When your breathing pattern remains constant and unchanged for an extended period of time (such as fast and shallow when you are stressed or anxious), your lungs become stiffer, leading to less efficient gas exchange.
A sigh is a break in your constant pattern of breathing to reset your respiratory system. Defined as an inhale that is twice as large as normal, it stretches the alveoli (the air sacs in your lungs), giving you a sense of comfort and relief. Hence, the common term, ‘a sigh of relief’.
Breathwork master Dan Brulé, author of Just Breathe, was the first person to open my mind to the idea of using a ‘sigh of relief’ on purpose. If we already have a natural reflex built into us that helps us reset, then why don’t we use it on purpose!
How to purposefully sigh to reset
Slowly inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen and your chest.
Once you get to the top of your inhale, sigh out through the mouth, without pause. No effort or control is required. This bigger-than-normal inhale will mean that, as soon as you relax all your breathing muscles and open your mouth, the exhale will naturally escape out of you with gusto. Really let go of the breath and let it fall out of you.
Use it as an opportunity to let go of other things. Let go of your muscles, let go of your joints, let go of your worries or thoughts that are making you angry.
Repeat 10 times or as many times as required.
Hooked? So are we! If you want to know more, Richie tells us a little bit more about Exhale here:
"I wrote Exhale because I wanted to create the book I wish I had when I first started my Breathwork journey. It provides the knowledge and answers to all the questions that I had as I started exploring the world of Breathwork, condensing years of learning into a one-stop guide to accelerate your progress in understanding how to breathe with purpose. I hope the knowledge held within these pages serves you as it has served me."
You can order your copy now at thebreathguy.com
