BREATHING EXERCISES IN WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY

 BREATHING EXERCISES IN WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY

According to many psychological and clinical studies, diaphragmatic breathing in alternative and integrative medicine is an effective relaxation technique whose positive effects include physical and mental health. It is an effective non-pharmacological treatment that improves the emotional state, e.g. by reducing anxiety, depression and stress, it also has a positive effect on insomnia.

Breathing exercises are widely used in the clinical treatment of mental illnesses such as PTSD, movement disorders, phobias, and other stress-induced emotional disorders. They help people with mental problems such as anxiety and depression. Research shows that one-day breathing exercises can relieve emotional exhaustion and depersonalization from burnout. Exercises consisting of 30 (breathing) sessions lasting 5 minutes a day can significantly reduce anxiety in pregnant women at risk of premature birth. Moreover, a similar effect on anxiety was seen in a three-day intervention study where exercise was performed three times a day. A seven-day intensive sanatorium yoga program consisting of, among others, from pranayama (breathing exercises) reduced anxiety and symptoms of depression in patients suffering from lumbosacral pain.

Other research suggests a link between attention / alertness disorders and inappropriate breathing in people with dementia, and inappropriate breathing during sleep in all age groups. There is also a relationship between breathing and attention. Breathing meditation exercises can be a new, non-pharmacological way to correct certain elements of your attention. Meditation with focused mindfulness is a Buddhist practice in which both attention and the feeling of breath are sustained. Some studies show that short training to calm your thoughts can have a positive effect on maintaining attention and reducing fatigue and anxiety. There are also researchers who say that relaxation caused by calm breathing helps to control attention deficit symptoms in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

There is also a link between deepened breathing techniques and the reduction of anxiety states. A six-week breathing training course was enough to significantly reduce anxiety in healthy adults. Evidence from studies on diaphragmatic breathing shows a significant reduction in anxiety in adults after eight weeks of treatment and a reduced anxiety associated with tests in primary school students. It is noted that even a single application of diaphragmatic breathing can reduce stress and provide relief from burnout and other emotional disorders. This suggests that diaphragmatic breathing may be a potential therapeutic measure to improve emotional well-being.

BREATH HOLDING EXERCISE (ACCORDING TO PATRICK MCKEOWN)

The breath-holding exercise that reduced symptoms such as stuffy nose, snoring, poor sense of smell, troublesome nasal breathing, restless sleep, and the feeling of troublesome mouth breathing by 70%.

Holding the breath increases the concentration of nitric oxide in the nasal cavity, which directly results in widening of the nasal passages and restoring smooth, unimpeded nasal breathing.

An exercise example

1. Take a short, silent breath through your nose, then exhale slowly from your lungs in the same way.

2. Pinch your nose with your fingers and hold your breath.

3. Take as many steps as you can. Try to create a high oxygen demand, but avoid dizziness or headache, visual disturbances, feelings of weakness, sudden hot flush or even loss of consciousness.

4. Let go of your nose and breathe through it. Try to calm your breathing as soon as possible.

5. The first breath in will most likely be much deeper than usual. A good way to calm your breathing is to deliberately reduce the amount of air you pull through your nose on your second and third breaths.

6. The breath should return to its normal frequency and volume after the first two or three breaths and exhalations. If after this time it is still irregular and more intense than usual, then you have held it for too long.

7. Wait a minute or two before continuing the exercise.

8. To prepare your body for longer pauses in breathing, start with a shorter duration, increasing the number of steps with each repetition.

9. Repeat the entire cycle six times, leading to a really large oxygen deficit on the last repetition.

It is important to repeat the exercise regularly to increase the number of steps.

WIM HOF METHOD

Wim Hof ​​is commonly known as The Iceman thanks to his ability to withstand extreme cold, which he attributes to exposure to cold, meditation and these breathing patterns (similar to the Tibetan tummo technique). Research shows that through conscious hyperventilation, Wim Hof ​​can increase heart rate, adrenaline levels and blood alkalinity. Wim is also believed to have more brown fat than is normally found, which supports his resistance to cold. Wim Hof ​​says his unique breathing method can increase energy, improve sleep, increase focus and determination, improve athletic performance, as well as reduce stress levels, increase cold tolerance, speed recovery, and increase creativity. Breathing exercises activate a huge number of physiological processes in the body that have tremendous healing potential.

This method is particularly effective in low temperature conditions. Wim Hof ​​recommends that you keep in touch with your breathing in situations where the body is exposed to cold temperatures and is under stress. Focusing on your breathing helps you get out of difficult situations in a calm and stress-free way. When the body is immersed in ice-cold water, focusing on the breath at a given moment allows you to get rid of the thoughts of running away and panic, and the body slowly gets used to the new, extremely cold environment, eventually reaching a state of relaxation.

A key element of Wim Hof's method is mindfulness and conscious connection with the breath. It is one of the most effective experimental therapies for staying one with your breath in stressful situations. In this case, the stressful situation is orchestrated, the body is to be immersed in ice water.

This method is very simple and effective and is another stress control tool.

Wim Hof's exercises

To gauge how controlled hyperventilation is affecting your body, do a small stopwatch test. Sit or lie down comfortably. Take a deep breath and exhale naturally so as not to empty your lungs completely. Maintain your apnea as long as possible. Remember your result.

Move on to breathing exercises. Here is the diagram:

Take the position that is most comfortable for you.

Take a deep breath as you push the air into your abdomen (diaphragm) and chest, all the way to your collarbones.

Let the air out naturally, without struggling with your lungs. The exhale should sound like you're forcing it, but it shouldn't be. Let the breaths flow quickly and rhythmically, without interruption, with the diaphragm and chest relaxed.

Keep breathing until you feel a slight tingling sensation in your body and a lightness of mind. For most people, 30 breaths are enough to repeat.

At this point, your blood pH rises, the sympathetic part of your autonomic nervous system is activated, and cortisol is released (balanced by lower levels for the rest of the day).

It's time to balance your body's oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

After the last exhalation, hold your breath. Close your mouth and block your larynx, relax.

Be aware of what is happening, pay attention to places where there is pain, inflammation, and ailments you are struggling with. Imagine the energy, oxygen, walking there. If any part of your body or a muscle is tense, relax it.

After 90 seconds, the adrenal glands can begin to release adrenaline, which will result in a huge surge of energy. Increasing CO2 levels will increase the urge to draw in air, while decreasing O2 levels will stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus - the center that regulates the secretion of hormones in the body. It is responsible for systemic homeostasis, e.g. thermoregulation or water and electrolyte balance. As part of the limbic system, it is also responsible for emotions and drives. The hypothalamus is the center of hunger and satiety.

When the feeling of lack of air becomes too unpleasant (symptoms such as swallowing saliva, severe diaphragm contraction, muscle tremors appear), end this phase. Take a deep breath, then hold your breath for 15 seconds, imagining any remaining oxygen in your body being directed towards your head.

Normalize your breathing. Repeat all breathing exercises three times.

Note how long you can hold your breath while exercising. As you repeat the exercises, your score will increase. It is assumed that 90–120 s is a sufficient result to derive the most benefits from the Wim Hof ​​method.

BREATHING MEDITATION IN EASTERN MEDICINE

Traditional Tibetan medicine, also known as the Owl Rigpa (teaching to heal as well as nourish consciousness), is a natural and holistic medical science. It addresses all the needs of the body, mind and spirit in an integrative way. Tibetan medicine offers many unique possibilities that cannot be found in other healing traditions or modern medicine.

The human physical body is made up of tissues (muscles, bones, etc.) that sometimes take the form of ducts and channels. These are blood vessels, nerves, etc. They are visible to the eyes and allow energy to flow, e.g. in the form of thermal energy orb electrical nerve impulses. If the human body were a state, the equivalent of canals would be highways, roads, and rivers. The Owl Rigpa teaches that the body is home to a huge number of subtle channels. They can be compared to air corridors. They exist, although they are invisible. These subtle channels send life energy. The human body has three main channels: middle, right and left. Meditation with "cleansing" breaths is performed to clear these channels of impurities at the body, energy and mind levels.

Nine cleansing breaths (Tib. Rlung ro bsal ba, which means expelling dead wind) is a meditative breathing exercise that balances the so-called the three energies (or humors) in the human body (Wind, Phlegm and Bile). These energies combine with the relevant internal organs, and affect their function and human health.

EXERCISE: NINE CLEANSING BREATHES

Sit upright with your legs crossed. You can sit on a chair or on the floor on a pillow. Imagine that your body is an empty, transparent shell of light. Inside it there are three channels as three empty tubes. The center channel is blue, the right channel is red, and the left channel is white. The right channel is solar energy, representing the emotion of anger and the energy of Yellow; it connects to the liver, gallbladder and diseases of the nature of heat, inflammation, digestion. The left channel is lunar energy, it represents ignorance, Phlegm energy, it is cool, connected with such internal organs as stomach, spleen, with indigestion and related disorders. The Central Channel is the energy of the Wind, a feeling of attachment, associated with all processes in which movement takes place in the body, such as blood and lymph flow in the vessels, the functioning of the nervous system.

Stay with this visualization of a pure body; empty the body for a while and empty the channels.

Take a deep breath. Use your left index finger to pinch your left nostril and inhale as you move your right hand towards your nose. Inhale pure rainbow light through your right nostril. Guide them down the right channel, following your right hand as it slopes downwards in front of you. Feel air move down the right side of your chest towards your abdomen, lowering your liver and viscera on the right side. Then, when it is level with the navel, turn your hand and, while holding your breath, guide energy (air) up through the left channel. When your right hand is level with your nose, take your left finger off your left nostril and squeeze your right hand. Exhale through your left nostril, imagining how all the impurities of anger, heat, inflammation leave your body as red smoke.

Repeat the process for the left channel by turning your hands over. All the contaminants caused by ignorance related to cold properties (indigestion, edema) are released in the form of white-gray smoke or small pigs.

Inhale with both nostrils as you direct the energy with both hands. Draw light into all channels, thereby purifying them. When both hands reach the level of the nose, exhale, ridding the attachment debris in the form of dark smoke.

These three breaths are one cycle.

Repeat the sequence at least three times.

EXERCISING CAREFUL BREATH

It is important to be mindful during your breathing exercises. While sitting upright with your legs crossed, take 7 to 21 deep breaths. Each deep breath has three phases:

inhale,

hold your breath

exhale.

Use the following number for each breath sequence: 4-3-5 (inhale-hold-exhale).

The breathing exercises can be used in conjunction with visualization: Inhaling the five colors of the rainbow (blue, green, red, white and yellow) representing the five pure elements of space, wind, fire, water and earth. As you breathe out, emit light through your skin pores.

According to Tibetan medicine, exercises for mindful breathing can restore balance to our inner energies. There are three aspects to balance: body, energy and mind. They are in constant interaction and thus influence each other. Wind energy and channels are the connection between body and mind. By working on energy, a person is able to influence the health of his mind and body.