If you are a beginner to quieting your mind, it can be confusing as to how to take deep breaths. Chances are your parents didn’t show you, and you didn’t have “Mindfulness and Breath” as a class in high school. Where do actually you start?
You can sit. You can relax lying down. You can use an app or rhythmic music. You can breathe with your abdomen or just inhale and exhale through your nose. There is no right or wrong, but it does take practice. Every. Single. Day. Your mind will wonder (that’s normal). Your body will be uncomfortable at first (that’s normal, too). However, deep down there is great physiology associated with your slow, deep, breathing.
Inhaling through your nose for a count of 4 seconds and exhaling for a count of 6 seconds. Repeat that at least 12 times for your warm-up. Work on 10-minutes and gradually increase to 15, then 20, possibly even 30-minutes. Emphasizing each exhale is key as more toxins are released along with carbon dioxide from the lungs; thus allowing more oxygen to travel to the brain on the next inhalation.
This simple act of deep breathing is creating more balance between the peripheral nervous system, which acts like the “play” button on the remote and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), or the “pause” button. The parasympathetic nervous system regulates our rest-and-digest response, which is the opposite of our daily fight-or flight response that dominates our waking hours. You are essentially creating a state of equilibrium between the heart, lungs and digestive tract. If this isn’t accomplished, your body is always in fight or flight mode trying to fend off threats, stress, illness, and more.
Additionally, these two systems are part of a larger circuit connected to the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest and most complex of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves. It transmits information to and from the surface of the brain to tissues and organs. The name “vagus” comes from the Latin term for “wandering.” This is because the vagus nerve wanders from the brain into organs in the neck, chest, and abdomen. By properly stimulating the vagus nerve (non-invasively) through meditation or deep breathing, the body can reduce depression, lower inflammation, and improve the brain’s ability to manage stress and anxiety.
Meditation or deep breathing is an excellent opportunity to cultivate mindfulness. It’s a progressive approach taking time, tweaking, practice and consistency to clear out negative thoughts. Turn this simple practice into a healthy habit, and you’ll have more happiness for yourself and for others.