What's the breath got to do with it? Part 3: Self regulation

If you haven't already, you can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

This article is for information purposes and not to be considered medical advice. Please connect with your healthcare provider to address your own personal needs.

The breath. It's always with us. Inhale, exhale, repeat 20,000 times per day. It's a source of information if we're open to tuning in and a tool for self regulation if we're up for working with it.

The simple practice of breath awareness (discussed in part 1) can help us connect with the state of our being and what's happening within us. Our mood, our activities, our stress level, our overall state of being all influence the way we breathe. So, noticing what's happening with the breath can provide us with information about what's happening in our body.

Take a moment and consider this. What happens to your breath when you're stressed? What happens when you're excited? When you're relaxed? When you exercise? When you're talking? How does it change as things change throughout your day? Have you ever noticed?

Ideally, at rest we breath slowly, gently (barely feel the breath, no sound), and deeply (feel the belly move) into the body. When we need to do something, whether that's a chosen action or a reaction, our breathing will change to adapt to what's needed in that moment. Generally, anything that increases our stress (positively or negatively) will cause the breath to become shallower and faster, allowing the body to tap into the energy needed in the moment. This happens automatically without us needing to consciously do anything. Thanks brain and body!

Now, what's helpful to note is that this connection is circular, meaning that as the state of our being influences the way we breathe we can, in turn, consciously change the way we are breathing to influence our state of being. Handy tool to have.

There are three ways that the breath can shift the way we feel. We can use it to up-regulate - funky word for increasing energy, to down-regulate - slowing down to invite in peace and calm, or to create balance.

So, how do we do this?

There are many techniques available from yoga, Ayurveda, Tai Chi, Qigong, and more. Here we're going to look at the simplest options along with a bit of detail about why this works the way it does.

To up-regulate or increase energy, the simplest thing is a focus on the inhale. An active inhale that is longer than the exhale. This helps us tap into our sympathetic/action system which increases heart rate, blood pressure, and activates the large skeletal muscles preparing the body to do what it needs to do and brings focus to the mind. This helps us make quick decisions, move instinctively, and react to whatever is happening in the present.

Take a moment to check in with yourself, see how your breath is moving in and out of your body, what sensations are present, and the current state of your mind. Now, try out this energizing breathing technique - 6 second inhale 2 second exhale.

After trying this energizing breathing technique what do you notice? Take a moment and check in again to see what, if anything, has changed.

Next, we'll take a look at down-regulating, slowing down to invite in a sense of calm and peace. The simplest way to achieve this is to focus on a long, slow exhale. This connection with the exhale helps us to tap into our parasympathetic/rest/digest system. This system slows down the heart rate, drops the blood pressure, and begins to relax the body. Ideally, this is the dominate state our body is in when we have meals and for a while afterwards, and the state we shift into as we wind down from the day and head towards sleep.

Now, again I invite you to take a moment to check in with yourself. Notice the way your breath is moving, any sensations/tensions present in the body, and the state of your mind. Then take part in this 4-7-8 technique (highly recommended as a practice before bed to help with falling asleep).

After working with this technique what do you notice? Take a moment to check in again and notice if anything has shifted.

Finally, we'll take a look at breathing for balance. This is simply an equal length inhale and exhale. Balancing the two helps the body return to balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and also create a balance in the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. Practicing this style of breath also helps to bring the heart and mind into alignment and create a sense of harmony in one's body.

For the third time in this piece I invite you to check in and notice the state of your being, then move into this practice with the breathe bubble as your guide.

In completing this practice, what do you notice? What is the state of your being now? What differences do you notice among the three practices we've done here?

As a quick recap, for energy increase the inhale, for calm increase the exhale, and for balance equal out the inhale and exhale. Now that you have this knowledge you have ways of working with the breath as a tool to help regulate yourself throughout your day. When you're feeling stressed or anxious you can use the breath to invite in calm. When you're crashing mid afternoon you can use the breath for an energy boost instead of reaching for that next cup of coffee. When you're feeling a little scattered the breath can help you find balance and harmony again.

Until next time. Happy breathing!