Wealden Times | WT224 | Nov & Dec 2020 | Christmas supplement inside

Wellbeing
Breathing is a hugely significant
part of being alive, our first
breath marks the beginning of
independent life and our last, the end.
Unlike walking and talking which
we learn, breathing is an automatic
process and the way we breathe
affects our respiratory, cardiovascular,
neurological, gastrointestinal and
muscular systems. It even affects our
sleep, memory and concentration levels.
Every part of us is influenced by the
quality of our breath. When we breathe
well we create the best conditions for
health and wellbeing, when we don’t
we lay the foundations for illness.
Diaphragmatic, calm, regular
breathing is the best way to breathe.
Like the deep abdominal breathing of
infancy, it allows us to receive generous
amounts of oxygen to regenerate our
body’s cells, nourish the brain, replenish
the organs and refuel the muscles.
Long, slow breaths at a rate of about
13 breaths per minute are the goal.
Our first response to stress is to
breathe in a more restricted, distorted
and tighter way and modern life is
stressful, it bombards us constantly with
digital information, endless noise and
keeps us on a frantic treadmill, trying
to balance work and home lives. Even
relaxation involves the stimulation of
TV screens and digital devices. Soon
the ‘flight or fight’ response designed to
be activated by our caveman ancestors
relatively rarely, is permanently turned
on. Quite quickly, a stress-impacted
way of breathing can become a habit.
The good news is that just as our
stress levels influence how we breathe,
how we breathe can influence our
stress levels. As the breath naturally
deepens and softens, the nervous system
rebalances, the heart rate and blood
pressure drop and the body and mind
calm down, stimulating the ‘rest and
digest’ and closing down our ‘flight or
fight’ response. To reset your breath
and nervous system, allow your chest
and shoulders to relax and, breathing
through your nose, focus on extending
the exhalation, keeping the breath slow
and low into the abdomen. Repetitive
domestic tasks can also help to reset
your breathing: try chopping veg,
digging the garden or sweeping the floor
and match the rhythm of your actions
to the slowed timing of your breath.
Perfect Balance
Julie Simpson explains how to alleviate stress and optimise wellbeing
by harnessing the power of ‘good’ breathing techniques
Chest breathing
Don’t hold your tummy in, it makes
deep diaphragmatic breathing
impossible and leads to breathing
high up in the chest. This causes
tension in the upper back, shoulders
and neck as it uses the upper body
muscles instead of the lower primary
respiratory muscles. To make matters
worse, chest breathing causes the
lower abdominal muscles to become
chronically tightened, restricting
digestion and elimination. If you’re
not inhaling and exhaling fully, your
Meditation
Observing the breath with a deep,
relaxed inhale and a slightly extended
exhale is a classic meditation
technique to focus attention
inwards and generate a powerful
relaxation response. Meditation
has also been shown to clear the
mind, making it more productive.
Find a quiet spot and sit with a
straight spine on a chair or crosslegged
on the floor. Breathe in for
the count of 4, hold the breath for
body responds by breathing faster
to make up for the lack of oxygen,
causing hyperventilation. To reverse
the effects of chest breathing and
hyper-ventilation, focus on breathing
deeply into the abdomen, extending
the exhalation and keeping breath slow
while allowing chest and shoulders
to relax. Do give away clothes that
are too restrictive or too tight to
allow your diaphragm to expand fully
and avoid high heels which throw
you off balance causing your back
and breathing muscles to tighten.
2 and then exhale for the count of
6. As your breathing settles you can
increase the length of your breaths.
Try reciting this poem by peace
campaigner and Buddhist monk
Thich Nhat Hanh as you breathe…
“Breathing in I calm
body and mind.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is the only moment.”
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