Breath as a powerful tool to regulate the nervous system
The breath is one of the few functions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that we have any ability to control at will. From the moment we take our first inhale at birth, to the moment we take the last exhale of our final letting go, most of us simply take the breath for granted. We barely give a moment’s thought to this natural flow of inhale-exhale, and in doing so we really miss a great opportunity to engage the breath as an effective tool for self-regulation and healing.
When I first came to breathwork it’s fair to say that I had no idea what the word even meant; perhaps it’s the same for you? Maybe you’ve heard this trendy buzzword but have no idea what to expect in a breathwork session, or how you can work with the breath yourself at home in order to boost your well-being and improve your health.
Breath is one of the most rapid indicators of our state of mind and the balance of our emotional and mental health. When anxious our breathing becomes constricted and shallow, when relaxed it is steady and deep. If we watch a newborn breathing, the breath arises deeply from the belly, the chest is open and the rib cage moves in synchronicity with the belly but most adults do not breathe like that. Most of us are either chronically over breathing through a habitual (sub-conscious) open mouth desire to grasp more air (air hunger), or dramatically under breathing where the breath is generally only ever reaching the upper chest. Take a moment to tune in and observe your own breathing, which one are you? Does your breath start in your belly and rise up into your upper chest, rib cage and torso, or is it stuck in one place?
Most of us use a very small fraction of our total lung capacity - on average somewhere between 20-50%. When I first heard this I was shocked to think that there was so much more of this life-giving oxygen that I could gift myself, and so I set about learning how to do that, never imagining at this stage that it would become my life’s work.
There are many different approaches one may take to the practice of ‘breathwork’ - starting by using the breath as a focal point in your quiet moments or meditation practice can really help. Take a moment to find a comfortable spot, become aware of your body and the breath, and then begin to consciously slow your heartbeat. In slowing your heartbeat notice what happens to your breath. Perhaps you will observe a deeper exhale as the parasympathetic nervous system begins to self-soothe. Perhaps you will notice a natural instinct to close your mouth and breathe more deeply? These are two things that I’m certainly aware of the minute I take my attention to my breath.
Conscious breathing is important because it can make all the difference to our health and well-being. Those who experience anxiety are likely already aware of the difficulties we may experience with the breath when in the middle of an anxious episode or panic attack. Those who experience regular periods of depression may notice how shallow the breath becomes, as this reflection of our life force is diminished in feeling lethargic and quite literally life-less. Those who are habitually stressed may notice a tendency to grasp for more air, and if already using an inhaler would almost certainly feel an increasing need to reach for that when stressed.
So what can you do to learn how to work with the breath and bring more awareness to this wonderful ebb and flow exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide through your body? You can start with some soft practices such as some of the more gentle pranayama breathing exercises in yoga. Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breathing) is one, Ujayyi breathing another, then there’s also coherence breathing as is commonly used in HeartMath practices to help regulate the in and out flow of the breath to bring more balance in our life. Alternatively you can start by simply becoming still and using the breath as a focus for your meditation practice. If your mind becomes distracted simply come back to the natural rhythm of your breath and begin to work with it in this way.
The body has no natural receptors for oxygen and the impulse to breathe comes from a raised level of carbon dioxide in the cells. This raised the level of Co2 feels disturbing to the body, and so instinctively we breathe in to bring in oxygen which lowers the Co2 level (we need both to live well).
In a dynamic breathwork practice such as CCB (conscious connected breathwork), Transformational Breath, Holotropic breath or Rebirthing, these O2 and Co2 levels are rapidly and dramatically affected, which can result in a number of physiological and emotional sensations arising. These sensations range from dryness in the throat, a feeling of lightheadedness, numbness and tingling around the mouth and extremities, and in some cases the extreme cramping of the hands which is also known as tetany. All of these sensations can be moderated and regulated by consciously changing the pattern of our breathing, in other words by starting to listen to the body, we have the ability to direct our breathing to a pace at which we are comfortable, but more importantly, to use the breath to bring about healing and wellbeing.
The breath is a key indicator to what is going on in body mind and spirit and it’s a really useful tool to incorporate into your daily practice. The dynamic practices mentioned above can be used to release trauma which has been stored in the body, and to meet and transmute thoughts, feelings and emotions which may be difficult for us to access in other ways. More gentle practices such as those also mentioned above, or simply the practice of training yourself to nose breathe on a day-to-day basis will bring your awareness to the breath as a stabilising resource in your life.
When we use the breath to create movement in the system, we often begin to ‘see the unseen’. This can help us bring awareness to the things which may still be running our nervous systems which in turn gifts us the opportunity to quite literally create ever more space to feel and heal. To summarise the breath can be used as a therapeutic tool in our emotional processing, or as a healing tool to strengthen our immune systems and turbo boost our health.
To discover more about how you can work with the breath, please join one of my free weekly online sessions held every Saturday at 10 AM UK time.
