BREATHING NATURALLY

13/01/2012

Promoting relaxation through the breath

By improving and refining the quality of our breathing we can have a great impact on all aspects of our wellbeing.

The primary role of breathing is gas exchange: our cells need oxygen and their waste product, carbon dioxide, needs to be expelled. Breathing is an automatic body function, controlled by the respiratory centre of the brain.

When you unconsciously hold or restrict your breath through habit, or stress, the breath can become restricted and distorted.

This unconsciously altered breath still enables you to survive but it does not allow you to thrive.

As we are increasingly challenged through the ebs and flows of life, the quality and state of our breath will alter. Shallow breathing is a typical stress response. Hyperventilation can prolong anxiety and stress.

The process of breathing is at the centre of every action and reaction we make or have.  So by becoming more consciously aware and reconnected to our breath, we can become more aware of our stress response.

When things are not going as smoothly as we may have hoped, we may try to stop, or slow down the natural flow of events. Unconsciously we may restrict or hold our breath as a way of attempting to bring life under our control.

Do you feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or even ‘burnt out’?  In looking for a solution it is easy to get caught up in complicated theories or strategies. However we seldom explore the most fundamental and easiest concepts.

Different healing systems, from different cultures, have long realised the healing benefits of the breath. Many holistic practitioners believe that the breath is the link between the physical body and the ethereal mind and that spiritual insight is possible through conscious breathing.

A range of disorders

The use of controlled breathing as a means of promoting relaxation can help manage a range of disorders, including:

• anxiety
• asthma
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic pain
• high blood pressure
• insomnia
• panic attacks
• some skin conditions, such as eczema
• stress

The relaxation response

When a person is relaxed, their breathing is nasal, slow, even and gentle. Deliberately mimicking a relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the autonomic nervous system, which governs involuntary bodily functions. Physiological changes can include:

• lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• reduced amounts of stress hormones
• reduced lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue
• balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
• improved immune system functioning
• increased physical energy
• feelings of calm and wellbeing

How to relax and breathe

There are different breathing techniques to bring about relaxation.

To reclaim what has always been a natural part of you requires your conscious awareness.

In essence, the general aim is to shift from upper chest breathing to abdominal breathing. You will need a quiet, relaxed environment where you won’t be disturbed for 5-10 minutes.

Sit comfortably and raise your ribcage to expand your chest. Feel your upper chest and abdomen while you breathe. Concentrating on your breath, try to breathe in and out gently through the nose. The aim is to keep your upper chest and stomach still, thereby allowing your diaphragm to work more efficiently with your abdomen and less with your chest.

With each breath, allow any tension in your body to slip away. Once you are breathing slowly and with your abdominals, sit quietly and enjoy the sensation of physical relaxation.

So make it simple, take it slow and become aware of your breath.  It is full of life and unrestricted freedom.