Time to re-learn your breathing.
Recent scientific research has shown that while quick, shallow and unfocused breathing may contribute to a host of problems, including anxiety, depression and high blood pressure, cultivating greater control over our lungs can bring many benefits to our mental and physical health. Intriguingly, scientists are finding that a particular frequency of breath – at around six exhalations a minute – can be especially restorative, triggering a “relaxation response” in the brain and body. This is what we coach in Heart-Focussed Breathing.
The Heart-Focussed Breathing technique we teach is not Mindfulness. Mindfulness tends to only involve passive observation – of “watching the breath” – whereas HeartMath techniques focus on breathwork which requires you to actively change the way you breathe. Research has shown that people practicing breathwork seem to find a sweet spot at around six breaths a minute. This appears to bring about markedly greater relaxation through some kind of a positive feedback loop between the lungs, the heart and the brain. “You’re kind of unlocking or promoting the amplification of a basic physiological rhythm,” says Donald Noble at Emory University in the US.
Once you learn how the breath affects your mind and body, you will then have a quick and easy way to change your state, whether it’s to decrease stress and nervousness, increase your energy and focus, and even aid in creative problem solving.” The journey into deep relaxation can now be guided by HeartMath devices that record your physiological responses to the breathing exercises.
BBC Worklife article here is worth a read … Why slowing your breathing helps you relax.
For more information or to arrange a session on how to re-learn your breathing and to further understand how it impacts on your internal self, please drop me a note at health@quahassociates.com