"The path is the goal"- Mahatma Gandhi
Breathe Your Way Into A Relaxed State
Breathing is a free tool that we all have access to and is often forgotten about. Learning to utilize your breath can be a powerful anecdote to the many stressors of the modern lifestyle. According to celebrity movement coach Aaron Alexander, think of your breath as a remote control for your central nervous system. In times of anxiousness, breathing can be the gateway into a parasympathetic state without any medication or professional help.
Unfortunately, if breathing is not done correctly, the body starts to compensate. That is when we get ribcages that are not as pliable as they naturally should be, forming all sorts of postures such as sway back and kyphosis. According to Wolff's law, the bone grows and remodels itself depending on the forces that are placed upon it. What this means is that your body will respond to inefficient breathing and form unusual postures thinking its the new norm. Thus, homeostasis becomes farther from reality.
What Happens When We Inhale And Exhale?
During optimal inhalation 3 regions in our body expand; our ribcage expands, abdominal cavity expands and the pelvic cavity expands. Moreover, the pelvis becomes relaxed as the ilium pushes forward slightly while the sacrum shifts a little posteriorly. Picture this, as we inhale the organs in our body follow an eccentric motion. As the lungs are filled with air, the diaphragm is pushed downward descending towards the pelvic floor causing it to drop a little to accept the decent.
During optimal exhalation the 3 regions of the body involved in breathing (the ribcage, abdomen and pelvis) contract. Furthermore, the organs follow a concentric motion as the diaphragm ascends to push air out of the lungs.
Box Breathing Technique
We take an average of 14,000 to 20,000 breaths per day. Box breathing is a breathing technique that can bring the body into a parasympathetic and a more relaxed state. It is a highly effective and simple technique that can be used anywhere. How to do it:
1) Inhale: 4 seconds
2) Hold: 4 seconds
3) Exhale: 6 seconds
4) Hold: 4 seconds
Repeat for 10 rounds. You can breathe entirely from your nose in order to fully engage your diaphragm (the muscle that is in charge of breathing).
Next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, remember to do this and watch the immense improvement in your focus and mental clarity.
References
Alexander, A. (2019). The align method. (1st ed). NY, USA: Hachette book group
Wolff, J. (1986). The Law of Bone Remodelling. Berlin, Germany: Springer