There’s a Breath for That!
Breathwork doesn’t need to take 30 minutes or more to effectlively reset your nervous system. It can be as simple as stepping away and taking 5 deep calming breaths. That’s the beauty of breath!
I can’t help myself! Often, when I hear people telling me about their troubles, I think, “There’s a breath for that! If only you would be willing to take the time to tap into your breath, you may find energy, peace, calm, pain relief, and more creativity…. you may improve your relationships, your injury, the use of your time, your clarity, your direction, your fitness goals… you might feel less scattered, depressed, angry, on edge, numb….”
Ok, Laura. We get you are super into breathwork but can it really affect everything? You are just promoting your business by including every issue.
Hmmmm… Am I? Read below and decide for yourself!
Short and sweet, this is what I know… Your nervous system (NS) drives your body. It is either building your body up or breaking it down. BOTH are necessary! Your health depends on which part of the NS does the most driving. Your breath can determine who gets to drive!
Let me explain…
The ANS (autonomic nervous system) is made up of two parts. The SNS (sympathetic nervous system) is your fight-or-flight system. And the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) is your rest, digest, recover, safety, and social connection system. Both systems are completely automatic, meaning, we don’t have control over their functions, the body simply does what it feels is necessary. We don’t have to think about the heart beating, it just does. We don’t have to think about getting more blood flow to the muscles when we work out, our system just does it. And so it is with blood pressure, digestion, temp regulation, etc!
Thank God for the intelligence of the body!!!
However, sometimes there is a need to override this system and the best way to accomplish that is through breath (and taking charge of our thoughts, but that is for another entry!)
Breath is the ONLY part of the ANS we can control! We can use it to build energy and prepare for fight or flight. We can use it after the fight to slow down into rest and rebuild mode. How fascinating that we have been given this ability!! Why would The Creator do that?
My theory is so that we have healing and health right at our… bronchioles! ;0)
KEY POINT: Your breath can determine which ANS branch is in the driver’s seat!
When your body is driven by the SNS, it is putting processes in place to fight or flee by:
releasing energy into the bloodstream
increasing the heart rate
increasing blood pressure
slowing digestion
diverting blood flow to muscles
dilating the pupils
Cortisol assists in these changes so that the body is ultra-prepared for action by sending the energy where it is needed and taking it from places it is not. This system tears down or wears out the body, but it is necessary for action and survival.
On the other hand, when your body is driven by the PNS, it begins to restore balance, bringing the body into rest and growth, feelings of safety, and the ability to connect socially by:
storing energy
decreasing the heart rate
lowering blood pressure
stimulating digestion
increasing protein synthesis for tissue repair
This system rebuilds the body. It is necessary for repair, recovery, and growth. This is the system we should be spending most of our time in!
How do the two systems work together?
The intention is that we live in the PNS where we grow and create and are at ease in the body. When danger threatens we flip into the SNS and physically take action for our survival. Once the action is over we return to our rest and ease state.
Does anyone feel this is the way you live? Do you suddenly come up against a threat, immediately take care of it through physical action and then go back to your tranquility, spent but recovering?
I didn’t think so!
For most of us, the threat comes in the form of something mental or emotional that we can’t physically fight or run away from - a broken relationship, a fear or worry, doubt, financial stress, projects, deals, presentations……
We cannot physically fight these things! They require our energy and attention but they aren’t a 30-minute event we can spend ourselves on and then get back into rest mode. They are an ongoing concern and we need to learn how to handle them without living in the SNS. As this system breaks down the body and leads to injury and disease, it is not sustainable.
How does breath fit in?
We need to learn how to override the SNS when there is no monster to fight. We have to have flexibility in the nervous system so we can react to instant threats, handle ongoing stressors with more ease, and spend most of our time at rest.
Let’s take weight loss as an example. The healthiest way to change your body composition is to build more muscle and burn more fat through weight lifting, cardio, and fewer calories. All three of these things stress the body which puts it into SNS operation. Exercise as a stressor might be an hour or two from which you can recover fairly quickly with some good recovery techniques (of which breathwork is a GREAT tool!! Surprise, surprise!). But if you are restricting your calories, you will be under stress all day which means your body is being driven by the SNS. Therefore, cortisol is chronically released into the system keeping you in fight or flight. If a threat arises, and you are already on edge, you snap b/c your system can’t take any more! Not only that, but chronically high cortisol levels often lead to weight GAIN, increased belly fat, heart disease, heart arrhythmia, diabetes, low energy levels, adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure, asthma, anxiety, depression, and sleep issues! (Just to name a few!!)
This is NOT productive for weight loss OR health!
So what can be done?!
BREATHE!!!
Remember the key point? You can use your breath to move between the two systems appropriately! You can take the SNS out of the driver’s seat once your workout is over by using your breath. You can breathe deeply and slowly throughout the day at random intervals to work through the stressor without becoming physically worn down.
How about the big project hanging over your head that constantly has you stressed out? Pause. Breathe from your belly. Kids driving you crazy?! Before you snap, breathe! Slow your breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Notice the change in how you feel! The kids are still going nuts, the big project still looms ahead but it doesn’t feel like a tiger is chasing you. It feels like something you can work through, something you can handle.
IN SUMMARY:
Your ANS automatically runs the body. Your breath has the power to override the ANS. YOU have the power to use and control your breath to your benefit. The ability to control your breath is a gift you can use to manipulate your nervous system. To NOT use this always-accessible tool is to allow your body to run amuck in survival mode and risk the consequences! Learn how to use your breath for your health! It truly could save your life!
Don’t wait! Schedule a session or a package! The more you practice the more effective it is!!
To learn more about a flexible nervous system and some of the benefits of breathwork, click here.
My next journal entry will teach you how you know which system is in the driver’s seat at a certain time and whether or not you are fluctuating well between the two.
Thanks for reading.
…E x h a l e…
