Breath : The Key to Calmness and Clarity

In my previous blog, I have mentioned the significance of breath and its various applications, such as stress release breathing, Qi-gong breath and I explained how to practice lateral breathing using Pilates rings as reference.

In this blog I am to explore more how the stress effects our body and how the breath works as a powerful tool reduce stress and then to introduce you to the different types of breath works and give you to practice two breath work. One type is Yogic alternative nostril breathing also In Sanskrit, it's known as nadi shodhana pranayama for helping calm the mind reduce anxiety and stress level, a breathing technique commonly practiced in yoga for thousands of years. There is another type of breath that has gained popularity in recent years called vagus breathing.

The basic premise of breath work is that by controlling the breath, you can influence the body and mind in a positive way. There are many different techniques and styles of breath work, each with their own unique benefits and effects that has been used in India for thousands of years. It involves consciously controlling the breath in order to achieve specific physiological and psychological effects. In recent years, breath work has gained popularity as a treatment technique for a wide range of issues, including NLP and hypnotherapy, physiology and psychology.

Pranayama involves a series of breathing exercises that are designed to help balance the body's energy and promote overall well-being. It is often used in conjunction with yoga, and can be an effective tool for reducing stress and anxiety.

Breath work is often used in conjunction with NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and hypnotherapy. These techniques use language and visualization to influence the subconscious mind, and breathwork can be used to help deepen these effects. By controlling the breath, a person can enter a relaxed state that is more receptive to suggestion and visualization.
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From a physiological perspective, breath work has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects. For example, deep breathing can help to increase oxygen levels in the body, which can improve circulation and reduce inflammation. It can also help to stimulate the vagus nerve, which is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system. This can lead to a reduction in stress and anxiety, as well as improved digestion and immune function. To really understand the powerful interconnections between the breath, heart and brain, you must take a journey along the vagus nerve through the autonomic nervous system. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body and vagus nerve supplies nerves to the heart, respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract, reaching the lowest viscera of the abdomen. It is most wide ranging, cranial nerve in the human body and is responsible for, among other things, many functions of the mouth, including speech, appetite control, and even vomiting. Ultimately, it conducts nerve impulses to every major organ in our body.  

Patrick Mckeown in his book 'The Breathe Cure' gives 26 self-breathing exercises for adults, children and teens, and you can more easily apply techniques that have been tried and tested by the Olympics, athletes and the military for functional breathing work. Chapter 4 of his book "The Breathe Cure" explains that the fight-and-flight response is our instinctive survival mechanism, where we humans, like all other mammals, reach this point in life-threatening situations. Fight, run or stay. For us, problems arise when we begin to have the same reaction to things that are probably not life-threatening or deadly. These reactions are triggered by our anxiety about making a presentation, our fear of going to an interview, receiving unexpected natural gas bills, and fear of being blocked on social media. When we overload the fight-and-flight response, the result is chronic stress and inflammation in the body.

The SNS (sympathetic nervous system) activates us, that is, our body according to our reaction to external factors. If, let's say, an uncontrolled car is coming towards us at speed and you see this, the Nervous system enters the SNS and the body instinctively decides to either flee or fight or freezes. Meanwhile, the adrenaline secretion in the body is at its peak, the blood circulation is accelerated, the blood rushes to the arms and legs, and all energy reserves are ready to fight or flee. On the contrary, the PNS stops functioning immediately. At that moment, digestion is not important, if the voodoo is repairing itself, a life-threatening danger is looming from the outside. All growth, renewal, reproduction, relaxation mechanisms stop in order to focus on it immediately, which creates energy savings. That is, while you are on SNS alert, all systems under the influence of PNS are shutting down. The car managed to stop close to you. When the outside threat is gone, which can be within 2 or at most 3 minutes, our body needs to regain a state of balance. The sole purpose of all the biological systems in our body is homeostasis (balance or balance). This is how our 50 trillion cells in humans work at the whole body level. You can think of homeostasis as an extremely healthy, dynamic feedback and regulation system. If there is a threat inside or outside the body, the homeostasis against the external or internal stress given by the body is impaired.

Stress, which we experience in modern life, is a situation in which our body disrupts its self-regulated ability against a physical, psychological or environmental threat, which is a single event or a long-term problem, just like internal and external violence.
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When you think about your troubled ex-lover who has been reaching out to you, or when you feel bad about what happened to you in the past, you trigger this process again and again.Stress itself cause shallow restricted breathing. This also leads to neck and back pain, upper chest breathing and poor diaphragm control. Biochemically chronic hyperventilation can impact body’s PH balance. Psychologically anxiety, depression and anger can also destroy your balance. Vice versa Restricted breathing alone can cause stress in your daily activities and trigger sympathetic responses in your physical body. 
Practicing Vagal Breathing daily rebalances your nervous system to bring it back to a state of calm and optimal social functioning. It is an effective tool for managing all the issues we overlook, such as depression, anxiety and anger. I offer you a simple but effective technique for sleeping well and reducing sudden stress - vagal breathing, which has been widely introduced in recent years. For those who want to learn more about Vagal Breath, I recommend reading another fascinating book called The Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg.

Alternate nostril breathing is a gentle and accessible practice. The technique commonly practiced in yoga has a range of physical, mental and emotional benefits. Here are some potential benefits associated with this practice: Calms the mind: Nadi Shodhana is believed to help calm the mind and reduce anxiety and stress levels. By balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain, it helps promote inner peace and a sense of relaxation.
Improves respiratory function: This practice includes conscious, deep breathing that can help increase lung capacity and oxygen uptake. It also helps alleviate respiratory problems such as asthma.
Supports overall health: Nadi Shodhana helps improve overall health and well-being by reducing stress levels and promoting relaxation. It is also believed to help balance the body's energy channels, or nadis.
Improves mental clarity and focus: Nadi Shodhana practice is thought to improve mental clarity, focus and concentration. It helps to clear the mind of disturbing thoughts and increase awareness of the present moment.

Please bear in mind!
As with any new exercise or wellness routine, it's always a good idea to consult a healthcare professional before starting if you have any concerns

 
​Here are the steps to practice alternative nostril breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana pranayama:

🌼Find a comfortable seated position, with your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed.
🌼Take a few deep breaths to settle into your practice.
🌼Bring your right hand to your face and use your thumb to close your right nostril.
🌼Inhale deeply through your left nostril, counting to four.
🌼Hold your breath for a moment, then use your ring finger to close your left nostril.
🌼Exhale slowly through your right nostril, counting to four.
🌼Inhale through your right nostril, counting to four.
🌼Hold your breath for a moment, then use your thumb to close your right nostril.
🌼Exhale slowly through your left nostril, counting to four.
🌼This completes one round of alternative nostril breathing. Repeat for several rounds, or as long as feels comfortable.

It's important to breathe deeply and slowly throughout the practice, without forcing the breath. If you find yourself feeling lightheaded or uncomfortable, take a break and return to normal breathing before trying again.
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Nadi Shodhana can be practiced at any time of day, but it may be especially helpful in the morning or evening to help calm the mind and prepare for meditation.

                                                     Vagus Breathing 

Lie down in a neutral position and breathe through your nostrils slowly and quietly, using belly breathing (also known as abdominal or diaphragm breathing). The breathing strategy here is to inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4 heartbeats, exhale for a count of 8, and hold for 4 heartbeats at the end of the exhale. Repeat this cycle 5-10 times daily.

🌹Recap: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 8 counts, and hold for 4 counts.
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If you feel you have more breath capacity, you can expand the parameters of the breath. Double down on the length of your exhale and the pause after exhale. The longer you can expand that duration, the more you stimulate the vagus, sending you into the depths of a parasympathetic response (rest and digest). When parasympathetic activity dominates, healing and regeneration occur in the body.

You can be practiced Vagus breathing in the evening to help calm the mind and prepare for meditation or sleep.

What should we do in the light of all this information? First of all, we shouldn't wait until we get stressed. First we have to decide to take control. We cannot change what happened in the past, the bill, the stress of life, but we can change our reactions of them. We cannot get rid of our emotions. They will always be there to guide us, but we can change the relationship we form with them. If we focus on what we can change, we can transform. In order to control something, we must first realize it, we must become independent observations of ourselves, and this is only possible with the calming and clarification of the mind. Here Breathing exercises provide us with this in the long run. You are going to recondition the nervous system. Events out there in the world and the response you can change. You can recondition the nervous system so when you breathe consciously you are helping your body balance response. Because, each time when you breathe in , you fire off flight/fight and each time when you exhale you fire rest/digest. if you do breath work a regular basis you will train your body and nervous system to go balance quicker. Breath work opens you up mindful experiences. If we can notice our emotions, we can observe them and live, feel and experience when it needs to be experienced, and when it ends, we can focus less and control it, and if we can manage not to dwell on your emotions too much, then we will react more accurately, and we can maintain a healthy harmony without disturbing the balance of mind and body. As a very powerful tool, practicing regular breathwork will not only regulate your emotions and reduce anxiety, but will gradually increase your stamina, energy and focus, and increase your self-awareness.

Stay with love and light,
Serap