Did you know that the breath is the only autonomic system we have intentional access to? We can’t control how fast our food digests or how well our kidneys do their job by just thinking about them, but we CAN control how fast and how deeply we breathe.
We can gain access to our autonomic nervous system through our breath. Fortunately, if we don’t think about our breath, it still happens, but the impact we can have on our nervous system and sense of well-being simply through breathing on purpose is astounding.
I was over-the-moon happy for my client when she told me that her GI issues have pretty much completely dissipated, and the anxiety she would have around eating has gone away since she has started utilizing a breathing practice whenever she feels stress.
This is HUGE, guys. For her, there was a powerful link between stress/anxiety and stomach pain, and this breathing strategy has made all the difference in helping her calm that stress/anxiety response.
There are so many options for breathing strategies, but they don’t have to be complicated to be effective. Slowing the breath, and having a longer exhale than inhale will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and help your system relax. Make sure when you breathe, that you are breathing down into your belly, not up in your chest, and that you’re breathing in through your nose and out through either your nose or through pursed lips.
Here are a few simple practices to sample. See what works best for you and try using it throughout the day.
- The one my client had been using is simply counting to 4 as she breathes in, and counting to 8 as she breathes out.
- Box Breathing: breathe in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, breath out for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts
- 4-6-8 Breathing: Breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 6, breathe out through your mouth for 8 counts
Practice this today! And let me know how it goes 🙂
Yours,
Bethany