Why do I need to focus on my breath when I already do it without trying?

OK, be honest now. Have you ever been puzzled about why wellness coaches tell you to pay attention to your breath?  Don’t you already know how to breathe?   And it happens automatically.  So what? 

When Gail and I took the five-day professional education course from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in September, our small group practices always started with a time to focus on the breath.  And it was remarkable how that simple practice focused our attention on our work and time together, and how it calmed any sense of rush or stress we were bringing into the moment.  We were able to be fully present with each other and also to be more aware of our own important thoughts and feelings in that moment. We felt that our thinking was clearer after such a breath awareness time, such an important gift for a group working together. 

 

I suspect that (if you are like me) there are plenty of times when you have too many thoughts happening at once, when it seems like the pressure’s on to get a lot done but you don’t know where to start, or you may be struggling to find the right words in the heat of the moment.  Could training in breath awareness help at times like that? Absolutely!  Why?

 

There is a really tight connection between the breath and the part of the brain that regulates stress responses.  When we are stressed, we are likely to breath more rapidly, and often it is more shallow… breathing in the chest and shoulders rather than “soft belly breaths.”  And the reverse is also true, shallow constricted hurried breathing can actually cause a sense of stress and anxiety and activate the part of the brain that prepares us to respond to danger. And when the limbic system in the mid-brain is preparing us to fight or run, it shuts down activity in the frontal cortex, assuring that we don’t spend too much time thinking and considering our options.  Emergency preparedness is not the time careful consideration of options! So we are more likely under stress to act quickly, but also more likely to say things we will regret and to be confused later about why we did some of the things we did. 

 

My reminder to you is that you make time for a breath awareness practice daily, slow it down, relax and soften the belly when you breathe, and use that time to quiet the inner chatter.  You will find that it creates moments of clarity and calm and helps you sort out what’s really important.  I’d be interested to hear your feedback after practicing this…. Are you enjoying being less stressed?  I hope so.

 

To your health

 

 

Robert Pendergrast, MD