Your Breath is Your Superpower
Our breath: something we often forget we have, but can do so much; so subtle and quiet, yet full of power and life. Most of us don’t realize, nor utilize our breath to our fullest potential, but we are breathing all day! In this week’s blog post, we will discuss the importance of our breath, how it can help us achieve greater health, and ways to begin to use your breath as your own superpower.
A Sanskrit proverb says, “for breath is life, and if you breath well you will live long on earth.” This is true, our breath is what keeps us alive and if we take advantage the benefits it offers us, we surely can live long, thriving lives. When we refer to breathing, we are referring to deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing. This may be different than how you naturally breath without paying any attention and may feel unnatural. Many of us breath quite shallowly. Shallow breathing limits the breath from complete oxygen exchange.
Your breath, along with your mind, helps to control your nervous system. By deepening your breath and breathing more slowly, you can put yourself into a relaxation response, which is where the “superpower” element comes in. This means your nervous system will go from the sympathetic state to the parasympathetic state. When this happens, you will feel a shift from an anxious or stressed state to feelings of calm, joy, and contentment. When your body is not in fight or flight mode it has the chance to heal. This means cortisol and blood pressure levels may lower.
Deep breathing stems from the stomach, whereas shallow breathing is in the chest. One of our favorite techniques for deep breathing is the 4-7-8 breath created by Dr. Andrew Weil. This technique is one you can practice on a daily basis to get started introducing breath work into your life. It is perfect to practice during or alongside meditation. We also highly recommend HeartMath as a biofeedback tool for individuals who like to get real time data on their progress.
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Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response
ifm.org Toolkit “Mindful Breathing” 2017
ifm.org Toolkit “Breathing Techniques to Soothe the Soul” 2016