Making Changes with a Good Deep Breath – A secret to successful nourishment
I consider deep breathing one of the best kept secrets of successful nourishment and is one of the few tools that involves mind, body, and spirit. While it may not seem related to food or nourishment, in general, deep breathing starts and maintains changes - both big and small- throughout your body.
Let’s start by taking a moment for a good deep breath or two.
Sit or stand comfortably with your back straight (not rigid)
Inhale deeply through your nose for 2-3 seconds filling your lungs as much as possible
Hold for 1-2 seconds and slowly, slowly exhale through your mouth (as you’ll see later, the exhale is where all the magic happens)
Try it again, but this time gently inhale through your nose until your lungs are full
Hold for 1-2 seconds and slowly, slowly exhale through your mouth
What did you notice when inhaling and exhaling? How were the breaths different? Alike?
What happens with those 2 simple breaths?
The most immediate effect is relaxation of all body systems that are stressed, both physically and emotionally. Long-term, it provides anti-inflammatory support to most major organs in the body. Other benefits include better mental health, a more balanced brain, pain relief and even resolving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. All this, and it can be used anywhere, any time. Plus, it is always free(!).
An invitation
Consider jumping in to deep breathing right now if you don’t already have a practice. If you would `like to know more about the physiology of deep breathing, see the last section.
Getting started:
If you don’t already have a practice that includes rhythmic or deep breathing like swimming, singing, yoga or meditation, see Breathing Exercises offered by the UC-Berkeley Staff Health Program for different kinds of breathing exercises to start with.
Many online tutorials will suggest you start w/ 20-60 minutes of practice. For several reasons, this is usually too hard for most beginners. I recommend starting with 2 minutes using a timer. Each week consider adding an additional minute. Once you are in a routine (for some it is days, other weeks), most find they are lingering longer without any effort because it just feels good.
A special note if you are trauma survivor: For some with this history, breathing exercises may be activating. Going slow is the key to discovering which type and speed of breathing exercises work best for you.
IF YOU HAVE A PRACTICE:
If you already have a practice, consider incorporating different breathing techniques that have different effects on your body.
For ideas of different styles of breathing:
What is pranayama?- see the section on Types of Pranayama
Change Your Breathe, Change your Life - 12 minute video
Additional Background
Two Simple Breaths and How They Change the World
The most immediate effect is relaxation of all body systems that are stressed, both physically and emotionally. Long-term, it provides anti-inflammatory support to most major organs in the body. Other benefits include better mental health, a more balanced brain, pain relief and even resolving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. All this, and it can be used anywhere, any time. Plus, it is always free(!).
Inhalation:
ɝ - Increases focus, increases oxygen through-out body.
ɝ - More oxygen is anti-inflammatory and can help increase the immune response and decrease inflammatory symptoms such as pain.
Exhalation:
ɝ - Relaxes the nervous system, stops or slows down the body’s stress response.
ɝ - Engages the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS)*: Leads to better: Rest, Digestion, Repair of cells, Detoxification. Creates a relaxed state.
ɝ - Engaging PSNS (see below for more background), especially with breathing exercises, has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, arthritis pain and irritable bowel syndrome
Note: The PSNS is part of the Autonomic Nervous System, of which there are two parts: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The Sympathetic is responsible for our flight, fight or freeze response and coordinates numerous physiological responses to stressors, triggering adrenaline so we are ready for action. The Parasympathetic acts as a balance to the physical state of engaging the sympathetic nervous system.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
The Vagus Nerve aka the Highway of the PSNS , is especially important to those w/ a history of physical and/or emotional trauma, digestive issues or brain injuries as it helps to balance the long-term effects of both emotional or physical trauma.
ɝ The vagus nerve has 10 branches reaching key organs (see diagram below). Most have two way communication with the brain helping you stay alert to possible danger along with helping regulate your body’s reaction to various stressors and their side-effects. This includes immune, inflammatory and hunger responses. As mentioned above, this is how the PSNS directly affects digestion, anxiety levels and blood pressure.
ɝ Stimulating the vagus nerve triggers chemicals that in turn blocks the release of inflammatory chemicals. An easy way to turn on the vagus nerve is the use of breathing exercises or anything that causes you to take a deep breath like singing.
Vagal Tone – this is a phrase used to describe the health of your vagus nerve. It is described as “high tone ” if all is going well or “low tone” if not. If low, the systems regulated by the vagus nerve show signs of poor health, ie, indigestion, migraines, anxiety and high blood pressure. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to maintain high vagus tone.
For more info, References & Credits:
What Science Says About the Power of the Outbreath(article, 5 min)
The Autonomic Nervous System 101 (article, 5 min) This page is part of a website dedicated to a condition known as POTS. While much of the information will explain more about POTS, mid-section provides good, brief information about the autonomic nervous system.
The Vagus Nerve Explained - and how it affects your wellbeing and decision-making (video, 5 min, additional activities are mentioned throughout)
More Vagus Nerve Explanation (article and graphics, 7 min)