Breathing, part 2

There are many helpful resources to assist you in finding a comfortable breathing rate for you. There are apps you can download for the iPhone or the Droid. You can use a clock to time your breathing, or you can pay attention to your heartbeat as you breathe, and count the number of heartbeats it takes you to breathe in and out comfortably. Another resource is called the EZ-Air breath pacer. The EZ-Air is a breath pacer that can help you time your breathing for deeper relaxation. It is free for 30 days, and if you like it, you can purchase it. If you do not want to purchase it, you can just delete it from your computer. (Click here to find the EZ-Air breath pacer.) Practicing daily with a breath pacer can help your body find autonomic balance between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and can help you feel more relaxed.

Breathing

Stress can cause us to breathe more shallowly and can lead to anxiety attacks, muscular tension, headache, and fatigue. Most people are not aware they are breathing shallowly or that they are breathing from their chest instead of deeply from their diaphragms. Deep, diaphragmatic breathing is the easiest way to produce the relaxation response.

Try lying on the floor, placing one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach. When you breathe in, notice whether your abdomen expands. If your belly doesn't move, or moves less than your chest, you are breathing from your chest. To learn how to change from chest to stomach breathing, exhale fully one or two times. This will create a vacuum that will pull in a deep, diaphragmatic breath. Also, you can push your stomach out as you are breathing in. Breathing deeply is a skill that you can use to help you relax wherever you are.

One last thing you can do is use a clock with a second hand to help you time your breaths. On the odd numbers, breathe out, and on the even numbers, breathe in. This will have you breathing 6 breaths per minute, which is a comfortable pace for many (but not all) people. Experiment with this to find your most comfortable breaths per minute.

Meditation

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. - Mother Teresa

When we are under stress, our focus is usually not in the present. We think about mistakes we have made in the past or what is going to happen in the future. Time spent in the past or future robs us of experiences we can have in the moment. Mindfulness or meditation is a skill that we can use to focus our attention on the present moment. Meditation can also help us notice what is happening both inside our minds and our bodies without judging or fixating on it. Meditation can slow down our breathing or heart rates and can be helpful for anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, or migraine headaches. For more information, check out the biofeedback lab website or schedule an appointment to come into the lab to practice meditation.