Breath and Bringing Your System Back to Balance

"Relax.” “Calm Down.” “Take a deep breath.” How many times have you heard those instructions from someone when you are stressed out? Sometimes, we can shift our state by just bringing our awareness to our internal state.

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Sometimes though, we don’t realize we are in fight or flight until we are so activated (out of our windows of tolerance) or stressed it is difficult to reset our nervous system. When we get this way, it can be difficult to calm down or relax. Even the mention of “take a deep breath” might agitate us!

So why do people continue to say that to each other? Well, part of is innate intelligence. We know, intuitively, that breathing is the place to start. So what is the relationship between breath and our body’s response to, and recovery from stress or emotional activation?

Breathing is an automatic bodily function that just happens without thinking about it. That is how we stay alive. As we breathe, our body makes automatic unconscious decisions about the rate and smoothness of our breath in response to carbon dioxide, oxygen, and acidosis levels in our blood. The rate and smoothness change based on this biochemical feedback and from information that is collected from our organs and tissues on the status of our internal state. That means that if we have a nervous stomach from anxiety over an upcoming event, our brain may interpret that as danger, pumping out stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, etc.) and increasing our heart and respiration rate. 

Breath is a big part of this biofeedback loop of internal state information. It can either keep us in a state of fight or flight, or it can be the key to shifting us back to rest and digest state. When we are taking short, rapid shallow breaths in our chest (like people often do when they are feeling anxiety or stress,) this is a signal to our body that there is danger and it keeps us in a state of activation. When we slow down our breathing, take longer with our exhale, and breathe into our belly, these are all signals to the brain that danger has passed and it shifts us back into our parasympathetic nervous system, allowing us to move into a state of rest or balance, bringing back blood into our digestive system, immune system, and our prefrontal cortex.

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Breath is a big part of this biofeedback loop of internal state information. It can either keep us in a state of fight or flight, or it can be the key to shifting us back to rest and digest state.

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In yoga, there is a whole branch of practice dedicated to breath and its effects on the body and mind called pranayama. It is a very powerful addition to any movement practice and is used frequently in yoga therapy. The practice of pranayama is to begin to notice our own patterns of breath–where we breathe in our body, how shallow or deep, the rhythm of breath, etc.–without judgment, and then learn how to shape our breath for intended outcomes. 

Pranayama helps shape and manage energy, either calming or energizing by affecting the flow of prana (energy) in the body. It is a key part of mediation preparation and can be used to address a wide range of conditions. Knowing the effects of a particular type of pranayama is important before trying as they can be very powerful.

In addition to various kinds of breathing practices, here are some other ways to bring your system back into balance. You may have additional ways that work for you; no one way is the best but it’s great to know what works best for you.

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• ‍Exercise: Exercise is a key way of releasing stress but also a great way to increase our tolerance to stress. Exercise works to help our bodies process stress hormones and can also lead to a release of feel-good hormones. In addition, exercise has a range of other health benefits. It is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves to stay healthy and feel good.‍‍

• ‍Time in nature: Did you know that forests exude chemicals that boost our mood and immune function? They are called phytoncides and have a range of positive health impacts. So it’s not just fun and beautiful to go for a hike in the woods, it’s like a little magical infusion. A comprehensive research review of the benefits of forest bathing said this: 
  
  

Visiting forests on a relatively regular basis can be a good health-promoting practice, since, by reducing stress levels and boosting immune function, it seems capable of diminishing the incidence of stress-related and lifestyle-induced illnesses, varying from cardiovascular, respiratory, or metabolic diseases to neuropsychiatric conditions and, possibly, even cancer.

Forest Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on Human Health: A State-of-the-Art Review, Michele Antonelli

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And it's not just forests! Nature in general, but moving water especially, produces negative ions that can increase immune function, help regulate sleep, and decrease depressive symptoms for people with seasonal affective disorder and depression 
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• ‍Sleep: Sleep is one of the fundamental building blocks for our brain and nervous system to function properly and most Americans do not get enough sleep and/or quality sleep.‍

• Proper nutrition: For our brain and nervous system and our physical body to function at their best, we need adequate nutrition that includes a wide variety of micro and macronutrients. The typical American diet and lifestyle are usually lacking in several key nutrients (magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin B, etc.) that are needed to maintain optimum functioning.‍‍

• ‍Mindful movement: Mindful movement is movement that connects breath, movement, and awareness of your body in the present moment. It can be more formal practices like yoga, qi gong, tai chi, or mindful dance practices like 5Rhythms or open floor. Or, you can take a regular exercise like walking, lifting weights, etc., and turn it into mindful exercise. Bringing your awareness and attention to your body in the present moment takes the concentration away from the stressor that may be set in the future or triggered by the past and brings you to present-moment awareness. It can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system while building your brain and windows of tolerance.‍

• Somatic practices: There are a range of practices that help soothe and calm our nervous systems and it depends on your tolerance for movement and touch. Jiggling, shaking, and jumping on a trampoline are all things that can release the pent-up energy of stress from our bodies. Take time to notice what tools work for you and try to incorporate them into your daily life. Taking care of ourselves this way means we can show up for our lives with more energy, creativity, compassion, and joy.