BREATH
The respiratory system - or the respiratory system consists of the mouth, nose, pharynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs. The lungs rest on the diaphragm, a thin, dome-shaped, sinewy muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm is our most important respiratory muscle. The lungs take in oxygen from the air into the blood, and transport carbon dioxide from the blood to the air.
The respiratory system is controlled and regulated from an area of the brain (medulla oblongata) located in the brainstem.
All cells in the body need oxygen. It helps create energy in every cell. The oxygen you breathe in through the lungs goes out into the blood, and mixes with this, which carries it into the cells.
The Roman Empire was not built in a day. Similarly, with conscious breathing, you need to stop, observe, Accept, Release, and Let Go – SOAL. Over time, you will shift from being someone whose nervous system reacts unconsciously to impulses, sensory inputs, and thoughts, to someone who observes.
The word "breath" comes from the Latin spiritus, which means spirit, and can be translated to breath, soul, and respiration. The term "spiritual" means to be attentive and conscious. We are entirely dependent on breathing to live. We can survive for a long time without water and even longer without food – but we can only last a few minutes without air. We don’t think much about it because it happens automatically. We breathe on our own. On average, we take about twenty thousand breaths a day and 12-14 times per minute.
What happens in the body?
Our reaction when faced with a threat is called fight, flight, or freeze. Various hormones and sympathetic nerve activation prepare our body to fight, flee, or freeze. This creates uncomfortable bodily changes that occur when we are scared or have an anxiety attack, such as heart palpitations, increased breathing, nausea, muscle aches, sweating, heat, chills, trembling, and more.
Our body becomes exhausted from being in emergency mode for extended periods. Fortunately, we have another part of the autonomic nervous system that manages this. The parasympathetic nervous system is the counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system. It lowers our heart rate, normalizes our breathing, stabilizes body temperature, and allows us to digest food. The parasympathetic response can be referred to as rest-and-digest.
Relaxation exercises and slow breathing help us mobilize parasympathetic nerve activity.
Exercises:
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Conscious breathing. Start by observing the breath in through the nose, and out through the nose or out of the mouth. Start with 7 repetitions.
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Ssss - breath. (See here for guidance)
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Two quick inhalations through the nose, followed by a long exhalation through the mouth.
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Body awareness and breath
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Progressive muscle relaxation
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Visualization - the brain does not distinguish between fantasy and reality.
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An inner journey in the physical, emotional and mental body
What is the purpose of breathing exercises?
Controlled, calm breathing gives signals to the body that it is not dangerous. Just 4-7 calm inhalations and exhalations help the body to calm down. Taking control of your breathing tells your body to relax. You can create a log where you write down when you used the exercises and how they affected you. Then it is also easier to see progress if you sometimes think things are tiring.