You might have seen articles popping up here and there about this topic and probably have wondered why people keep going on about it. Everyone is breathing. When you stop you die?
I used to think that years ago until I joined the club. It’s kind of a secret because only those who have actually taken the plunge, read the guff and taken action to change how they breathe for maximum effect, are now true believers. And, if I knew that this secret, and the enormous benefits that could be gained from actually doing something differently, just breathe correctly, and how it could eventually change my life, I would have acted sooner.
So, why don’t people take any notice?
Quite simply they cannot imagine that making such a small change in their lives would make such a difference to their: health, wealth, success, stress responses, and every other aspect of their lives.
People are always looking for the magic bullet, the happy pill or the instant success without extending themselves too much and putting in too much effort. They have gotten themselves into messes in their lives but do not want to spend the time and energy to actually get themselves out the of the mess.
Did you know that disease lives in places that do not get enough oxygen to fight off illness, viruses and the like?
Did you know that breathing more effectively helps solve the energy drains and depletions, and that this simple task, could reverse how you feel forever?
Did you know that breathing correctly or differently and more effectively not only improves blood flow, but also reduces anxiety, depression, how you respond to stress, and it doubles as meditation because it can slow your heart rate and make you feel more positive?
Now. You might be thinking – not another article on breathing? What can they possibly say that would add any useful information to the discussion. You might also be thinking that everyone is already breathing so why make a big deal about it, of course, unless you are close to dying.
Some of you may also be thinking, if everyone is already breathing and they seem to be okay, how could so many people be getting it wrong?
Good question. That is the entire point. When we came to earth as little critters we breathed more deeply and from the lower abdomen. We did not move our shoulders up and down and did not take short, sharp and shallow breaths. We seemed to breathe naturally and normally.
Over time when we became affected by stress on a daily basis, and we somehow altered the way we were breathing when we commenced life, we then started down a different track. Over time this habitual way of breathing became our new norm. So, as a species we seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. However, we do not even know that this has happened. Because of the effects of daily stress, we have gradually changed how we breathe. We haven’t really noticed. Everyone else is doing the same thing!
But what if a simple tweak to the automatic function of how we breathe could lead to enormous changes in your life? Would you be interested then?
Scientists agree that you cannot separate the mind from the body. It has been found that when you change how you breathe you will find a shift in the body which will impact the mind and how you think, because you are getting more oxygen into your body and this oxygen helps feed the blood and then enables you to send nourishment throughout the body. This nourishment helps mend the mind and you become less anxious because your nervous system is receiving more nourishment as well.
The other thing is that when you retrain how you breathe it will also affect your emotional state and hence you will be able to help mend and heal your heart. Why? Because you will be feeding your heart more positive emotions and getting more oxygen you will then feel better. So, fixing the breath will fix the mind, the heart, and the body.
Notice how you are breathing now. Short sharp breaths indicate tension within. This means that your mind will also be tense
The other thing with changing how you breathe is, that it actually gives you more time to respond to stressor triggers, because it helps relax the breathing apparatus, and slows down your reaction time. This means you will be able to respond rather than react, so you will gain more control over these stress responses.
The breath also acts as a barometer of how you are feeling because it affects heart rate and blood flow. When you can slow down the breath then you can slow down your heart rate and decrease the negative effects of high blood pressure.
Breathing is an automatic function run by your subconscious. However, it can also be a tool for changing some of your subconscious functions. It can help alleviate the flood of cortisol during a stress even and this leads to increased focus and attention and memory. You will not be so clouded and your judgement will improve and you will make better decisions because you will be more present.
When you keep zotting back into the past or into the future you are not present. When you are not present you simply do not have control over your emotions and decisions. Having control gives you more time and more choice. More choice gives you more freedom to become who you need to be, to be the successful person you might want to become. Also, too, when you are present you have more energy, because energy drains out when you are constantly reacting to stressor triggers.
The other benefit, which arises as if by magic, is that you become a better communicator by default. How this happens is that because your reaction time to a stressor trigger slows down, you gain more time to consider your response to a person who is niggling you. You will find that over time you could not be bothered responding to them at all and they will lose power over you.
As you gain more time and control over your life you will start to recognise the beliefs that have been running your life. For example, when someone says something you will be able to recognise this and say: I used to react this way when that person said that to me. Now I cannot be bothered responding, or you will choose to respond differently.
The other major, major benefit is that your vibration will increase from negative to positive. That means your attractiveness factor will increase and you will start to notice things coming your way because you will be vibrating at a higher energy level. How good is that?
You might ask: who actually chooses to breathe differently? Well. Most sports people who want to improve performance and be more effective and efficient. Sports people seem to be calmer than others who do not do sport and who do not do regular exercise. They could not achieve what they do without breathing differently from the rest of the population.
Scientists have also proven that meditation shifts the reactions in the brain and people become less anxious and calmer. Spectrometers have taken pictures of these radical changes in the brain from stressed and anxious to being calm and at peace. Focusing on your breathing is a type of meditation.
The other thing you might have noticed is that when people have been in a stressful situation or have had a near accident the first thing people say is: breathe, take a deep breath! Now why would that be? Is it an old wives’ tale still?
People you have done yoga and those countries that have taught yoga and tai chi and other such exercises swear by the benefits of these slow movements. The slow movements help slow the breath and regulate the breath. Thousands of people world-wide have been doing these kinds of exercises for centuries so there must be something in it.
Look. If you want to improve your situation in any way, become successful, change what you want to do or achieve, then the evidence indicates that you need to instigate baby steps towards what you desire. You also need to do daily rituals of some kind. In order to acquire the mindset or the body you desire. Every successful person adopts some kind of meditation, exercise, healthy eating, taking quiet time out to contemplate where they are and where they want to be. This takes concentrated effort.
Why not kill two birds with one stone? Breathing is a form of mediation. You are doing it already. Why not do it differently and be more effective and productive at the same time?