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In the first part of this series, I introduced you to the concept of breathing as a superpower, capable of influencing almost every aspect of your body and mind.
In parts II and III, I shared how you can use your breath to move better and sleep better.
In this latest installment, we look at the role of breathing in stress management and concentration.
I also share breathing exercises to help you achieve a state of concentration and calm.
Breathing is one of the most effective ways to manage stress because it takes advantage of your own physiology and requires no special tools.
In as little as 90 seconds, deep breathing can stimulate a physiological "relaxation response" that attenuates your body's "fight or flight" response, inhibiting the production of stress hormones, lowering blood pressure, and slowing your heart rate.
In short, the way you breathe is important;
the quality of your breathing pattern affects your ability to mitigate stress.
In fact, a dysfunctional breathing pattern can boost your stress response, even when you're trying to use your breath to calm yourself.
Read on to learn how to avoid a faulty pattern and optimize your breathing to relieve stress, calm and focus, just as elite athletes like former Ski World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn do.
Excessive breathing and stress: a vicious cycle
When we are stressed, we are often told to take a deep breath.
What happens when we do this?
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If you are like most people, you put most of your effort into inhaling deeply and exhaling is secondary.
Unfortunately, focusing too much on inhaling without fully exhaling can lead to overbreathing - inhaling more than exhaling, akin to hyperventilation.
Excess breathing activates the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, which, in turn, activates the stress response and causes rapid, shallow breathing.
Consequently, overbreathing is part of a vicious cycle with stress.
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Since overbreathing doesn't allow carbon dioxide levels to rise enough for there to be adequate oxygen exchange in the bloodstream, you feel like you're not getting enough oxygen, leading you to try to inhale more.
The irony is that instead of inhaling, you actually need to exhale and pause so that the carbon dioxide levels rise high enough to be able to utilize the oxygen from your inhalations.
Extend the pause between breaths
The carbon dioxide that you exhale has an unfair reputation for being simply a waste product, when in fact it is essential for oxygen exchange and regulation of your nervous system.
When you get caught in a chronic pattern of overbreathing, your nervous system becomes overly sensitive to increases in carbon dioxide.
As a result, your nervous system almost immediately sounds an alarm to inhale every time you pause between breaths.
Left unchecked, the cycle of overbreathing is perpetuated, fueling the stress response, which in turn produces more overbreathing.
To check your nervous system's sensitivity to carbon dioxide levels, try the following:
Inhale gently and then exhale fully, but not forcefully.
At the end of the exhale, pause without breathing and mentally count how many seconds it takes you to feel the need to breathe again.
Don't wait to panic;
pause only until your body asks you to inhale.
How long could you wait before inhaling?
You should be able to pause for at least 20 seconds, and for elite endurance athletes, that number is close to double, according to Patrick McKeown, author of "The Oxygen Advantage."
The sensation you feel prompting you to inhale comes from chemoreceptors at the base of the brain stem, designed to control carbon dioxide levels and send a signal to the brain when you need to breathe.
If that sensation appears before 20 seconds, it means that you are breathing excessively in some way.
In previous articles in this series, we discussed the benefits of nasal versus mouth breathing for improving oxygenation and posture.
Nasal breathing also helps combat excessive breathing.
The nose is innervated specifically for breathing, so it sends more precise information to the brain about the need to slow down exhalations.
This helps to avoid expelling carbon dioxide too quickly.
In addition to nasal breathing, I recommend practicing the following exercise daily:
Practice of long pause
Sit comfortably in an upright posture with your hands resting on your lower ribs to guide and control your movement, as shown in this video.
Place your hands on your ribs to control and guide your movement during the breathing exercise.
Begin by inhaling and exhaling through your nose and then pause without breathing for a count of 10 in your head.
Repeat the inhale and exhale through your nose without forcing it and add two seconds to the pause for a count of 12. Keep repeating the nasal breathing and lengthening the pause by two seconds each time until you cannot add more time without giving in to your "sleep alarm." inhalation".
Try to breathe in effortlessly, smoothly and without noise, as you turn your exhales into long, gentle sighs of relief.
During breaks, try to keep your mind as calm as possible.
Breathe in the power of being present
In the first part of our series, Yankees star Aaron Judge talked about how our breathing work improves his posture and helps him move better.
I also train athletes to use their breathing to improve their concentration under pressure.
For example, a pitcher on the mound has to be able to keep an eye on the players on base to prevent them from stealing the ball without overreacting and distracting himself from throwing strikes at the hitting player.
To help you, I teach you to use your breath not only to relieve stress, but also to act as an anchor in the present moment.
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Paddy Steinfort, the Boston Red Sox high performance head coach, said the power of harnessing your breath for focus and calm is twofold: "First, it stimulates the physiology that counteracts the fight or flight response, ensuring that you are in a physically optimal state to act; and secondly, it provides a point of focus for your attention that is not based on emotion or threat, ensuring that you are mentally engaged in proactive action, even under the most intense pressure. " .
Your breath occurs here and now, acting as your deepest connection to the present.
And that connection can be very powerful for performance, just ask Lindsey Vonn.
In a recent interview with Vonn on Steinfort's "Toughness" podcast, she shared what she called a "great moment" early in her career.
Vonn said she "always got very, very nervous" before the competition.
Recalling a time when she was 13 or 14 years old and competing in an international youth race that her father had told her would probably propel her to become a World Cup champion, she said this:
"In the second race, I was in second place. I was freaking out. I was totally flustered, very nervous, and just ... I don't know ... I just started breathing, like trying to control my breathing. And I said, 'I can do this. I can do it. I can do it. 'I said it over and over again. And I just skied and won. "
Vonn realized the power of being present through his breath to help him regain focus and the conviction to win.
That power is available to all of us at any time.
To access it, try this simple exercise:
Breathing in the present moment
From any position, wherever you are, focus your attention on the sounds and sensations of your breath.
Feel the expansion and contraction of your rib cage.
Direct all your senses so that they follow the path of the air that enters through the nose, down through the throat, reaches the lungs and leaves again.
If your mind wanders, refocus on the breath, the here and now.
Take as many breaths as you need to establish a sense of calm presence.
Practice this type of breathing every time you feel stressed and need to reconnect with the present.
Breathing to calm anxiety
One of the consequences of over-breathing and chronic stress is anxiety.
Since anxiety often manifests with shortness of breath, the importance of deep breathing exercises cannot be overstated.
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The deep breathing exercises that I have shared earlier, and throughout this series, can help combat anxiety.
However, research has shown that alternate nasal breathing helps relieve anxiety.
Alternate breathing through the nostrils
Sit comfortably, resting your left hand on your lap.
Bend down the three middle fingers of the right hand, leaving the thumb and little finger extended.
Traditional yoga causes the ring finger to be extended as well, but I have found that many people find it difficult to comfortably hold that hand position, so I instruct them to extend their thumb and little finger only.
According to studies, alternate breathing through the nostrils helps relieve anxiety.
Use your right thumb to close your right nostril.
Inhale slowly through your left nostril.
Try to do five to ten rounds of this exercise to start.
Now close the left nostril with the little finger, releasing the thumb from the right nostril.
Exhale through the right nostril.
Now, inhale through your right nostril.
Use your thumb to close the right nostril.
Exhale through the left nostril.
The instructions above are for a round of two breaths.
Aim for five to ten rounds to start with, gradually building up.
Practice this exercise a few times a week or as often as needed to help curb your anxiety.
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