Breathwork : as a tool to focus or to relax

This post is only educational,kindly refer to a profffesional for personalised advice.

Breathing accompanies you all through your life ,since birth until death. It has accompanied you through ups and downs, moments of struggle and moments of relief and relaxation. Through fears and fights , and also moments of love ,care and happiness; but have you ever given attention to your breathing in these moments? Most probably unfortunately not, but I want you to access your memories . Have you ever noticed how breathing becomes fast in a moment of fear/ escalated physical fight , or how it was slow and easy; breathing a sigh of relief when you're relaxed and feeling loved, or maybe sharing an intimate moment with a loved one or unwinding after completion of a particular challenge or graduation. You owe these forms of breathing which are associated with our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system ; in simpler words our fight and flight mechanism ,which is part of our mammal brain. The parasympathetic system is associated with slow calmed breathing and a sense of being loved and feeling relaxed , that sigh of relief . Whilst the sympathetic system is associated with rapid breathing, feeling focused and on the edge .You may also become easily confused; sad or irritable; especially if you are taking rapid shallow breathing; a cry or rage of anger. We are only humans whom react to our surroundings its only natural to feel or have certain feelings, but through breathing exercises , self-belief and the right use of medication prescribed to you, you can become a better self manager of your condition and your breathing . The Sympathetic nervous system : breathing exercises and more

The "fight-or-flight" response originated as a survival mechanism to help people and other mammals react quickly to life-threatening situations. The near-instantaneous series of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone fight or run. It may help a person to focus and become in a state of hyper awareness, vital for certain life or death jobs requiring quick attention .It also helps you to do a particular task you have in mind, just enough stress empowers you to change for a better . Unfortunately traffic delays, work strain, and family problems can cause the body to respond with stress too, and these may lead to irritability. Our breathing generally tends to become shallow and rapid which induces the sympathetic nervous system, and irritability (the fight) may come up for some people; To activate the sympathetic nervous system -reach this level of hyper-awareness and focus without becoming irritable, one must focus on his breathing too! The following exercise can help one activate the sympathetic nervous system , in a calm and controlled manner. Breathing gives you energy and helps you concentrate 

After you've done the breathwork preparations and have found a comfortable sitting position , do this:

-Take deep full breath through your nose into your belly ;aim for 4 seconds if you can a bit less, its ok .

-Then, forcefully exhale through pursed lips, for no more than 1 seconds  (You will feel a sort of engine pumping in your lungs.) With each exhalation repeat in your mind or out-loud; "focus".

-Then repeat the breathing exercise again, without pausing.

-Repeat for ten or more deep breaths while doing this.

On the other hand our bodies aren't meant to be in a continuous flight or fight mode (i.e sympathetic nervous system firing) as it leads to stress. Researchers have learnt how and why these reactions occur and the long-term effects, persistent stress; has on physical and mental health. Repeated stress response activation wears the body down. Chronic stress may induce high blood pressure, artery-clogging deposits, anxiety, despair, and addiction, according to research. Chronic stress may contribute to obesity and malnutrition both directly (by making people eat more) and indirectly increase or decrease to ( water/food intake, sleep and exercise). Which in turn obesity and malnutrition can effect ones daily life ,respiratory health and also his independence . Though don't worry there is a way to control your mammal brain and control your stress and anxiety by activating your parasympathetic nervous system and more.

You may at times start to have thoughts of worry ,fear, uselessness ; I'm here to assure you that you aren't alone. We are humans ,anxiety and stress make a vital part of our mammal brain, that has kept us alive and helped us advanced so much. Stress motivates you to grow, to become better everyday, to love yourself a bit more, those around you or the living world. Though to much negativity and despair towards a stress reaction , is time wasted in this short life, rather than doing something productive for yourself, those around you and to the living and loving world we live in. Only with moving to do something positive with your time , will help you feel better. You may think life is cruel, but life is the biggest gift you will ever know , appreciate and enjoy it while you can. The trick in life is to never stop moving , even in old age, adapt to your situations and thrive in them, enjoy the simple things in life every day ,and have a smile or joke about it while you're at it. The Parasympathetic nervous system : breathing exercises and more Stressors as mentioned before come at you in a frequent fashion these day and age , a recent study suggested that in the life of today we receive 25 times more stressors than we did 25 years ago. Technology has its comforts, but even these come at a cost of stress caused a few days. Now I don't want you to remove every thing you own just yet ,what I want is to teach you how to react to stress, maybe in the form of some negative news on the web. Exercise : every stressor can be changed maybe into a valueable lesson if uou look at it from a positive perspective ,remember life is a miracle that is given to you , and everything in life has a greater purpose that we may or may not understand . When we move away from thoughts of despair and anger our possibilities are endless. Though we must empowered to love those around us , ourselves and the living world so as to find happiness . Response of relaxation and positivity to daily stressors.

For decades, Dr. Herbert Benson, the retired director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has studied how people might counter the stress response using a mix of tactics that induce the relaxation reaction.

Relaxation techniques can be found in deep belly breathing (diaphragmatic breathing), visualizing peaceful scenes, saying prayers, practicing yoga, and tai chi.

Researchers have focused on persons with high blood pressure and heart disease while doing studies on the effectiveness of the relaxation response in reducing chronic stress. As a result of these findings it appears the procedure may be worth trying, although it is not a fix for everyone.

The following are some techniques that may help;

Exercising one's body

There are a variety of ways that exercise can be used to reduce stress. Exercise, such as a brisk stroll, a quick swim or tai chi can assist reduce muscle tension while also deepening breathing. Exercise should be done with deep inhalation whilst relaxed and a exhalation with each exertion of power.

Flowing motions combined with focused breathing and mental concentration are common in movement treatments including yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. Whilst movement and exercise has been proven to release endorphins that improve ones quality of life. Whilst also keeping obesity and malnutrition, at bay which both have a major negative effect on ones exercise tolerance and respiratory health!

Breathing exercises Like certain breathing techniques may activate the sympathetic nervous system other breathing techniques may help induce the parasympathetic nervous system( the braking system) to invoke relaxation and calmness. I want you to visualize a moment in your life that you relaxed, graduating , getting that job you were wanting ,or just being with your loved one ; you may have had a sigh of relief , and I want you to remember this sigh of relief as breathing exercises for relaxation focus more on a longer exhalation.

Do this after you've found a comfortable sitting/laying position : -Breathe in for a count of 4seconds through your nose into your belly in your own time at your own pace - Hold for a count of 4seconds . Exhale for a count of 4 through your mouth with pursed lips (whistling form). With each breath repeat in your mind or out load " I am calm , I am relaxed" - Do this for a total of ten breaths - Finish you exercise by feeling grateful that you found time to dedicate some time to yourself to feel calm and relaxed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJDrfL90rU

The video on the right ,shows how breathing exercises that can stimulate the vagus nerve which is associated with our parasympathetic system. Digestion, heart rate and respiratory rate are all controlled by the vagus nerve. It also controls vasomotor activity and reflex behaviors such as coughing and sneeze.

Social support.

It is possible to extend one's life by relying on the support of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. Even while it's not entirely apparent why this is the case, the buffering theory claims that people who have close ties with loved ones receive emotional support that helps to sustain them during times of chronic stress and crisis. It's also important to talk with your professionals about your fears and stressors as these may also help you feel better. Check out our article of talk therapy by clicking <HERE> . Spiritual Help Combined with breathing exercises , being spiritual may help one to feel better . Daily prayers for strength to do to the best of your ability for your health and praying for the ability to be relaxed can aid one in his journey, to achieve a calm state of mind. Science has shown that religious people with certain conditions may find respite and achieve a better Quality of life than those that don't practice religion.