Beyond Short Shallow Breaths

Happy Monday!

Thanks to all those that purchased The Mind Body Whisperer “Optimize Your Holidays” Black Friday packages.I’m excited about the work that we’ll be able to do together in making certain that your body will be optimized and Happy for the Holidays!

This week, a quick thought about breathing…

As Dr. Andrew Weil points out, breathing is the only sympathetic body function that can be either an unconscious and conscious function.

As a quick review about info that is likely tucked away somewhere in the archives of your mind,

Unconscious functions are carried out automatically and, in part, work to preserve the safety and security of the mind and the body.

Another way to think about unconscious body functions is to consider your blood circulation, your heartbeat, and the activity of your immune system.

You don’t have to think or put an action plan in place to keep your blood flowing or your heart beating – they are automatic, unconscious functions.

Unique to breathing, however, you can consciously influence your breath – i.e. you can

• hold your breath,

• alter the tempo of your breath – ie. you can decide to take in short fast breaths or long deep breaths

Through my studies in clinical psychology and the body, I have learned another interesting fact…

The quality of your breath is a signal to the mind and the body and influences several aspects of our functioning – i.e.

• which part of the brain is acting as the command center (quick reacting limbic brain vs. thoughtful upper cortical region) and

• whether the muscles in your body are activated to fight or flight OR to relaxed and be calm

The easiest way for me to think about the breath relative to the body is to consider

• Short, Shallow Breaths (SSBs) and

• Long, Deep Breaths (LDBs)

To understand the difference between the two, you can do a quick and dirty experiment – See http://themindbodywhisperer.com/blog for details.

– Here’s a Quick Summary:

Short, Shallow Breaths (SSBs) are a signal to your body that things may not be safe and that you may need to react quickly to your current situation.

SSBs tend to

– Focus your attention on specific points

– Ready your muscles for action

– often fight or flight

– Fun Fact – Short, Shallow Breaths are often associated with anxiety and depression (though the quality of each is a bit different – AKA a future blog topic)

In contrast, Long, Deep Breaths (LDBs) are a signal to your body that you are in a safe zone and that you have time to think strategically (rather than impulsively).

In other words, Long Deep Breaths signal to your body that

– You have time to consider possibilities and your options,

– You have time to assess your current situation and decide on your Best Next Move and to, in turn, Act based on that more thorough assessment of your situation rather than by the SSB-based impulse that “may save your life”.

** To Get an Idea on How Your Short, Shallow Breaths affect your body compared to Your Long, Deep Breaths, do the following.

Quick & Dirty Test – SSBs vs. LDBs and Your Body:

• Stand near a wall or chair (in case you need to grab a hold of something for a greater sense of stability),

• Clear your mind, and first,

• Do a quick Baseline Body Scan –

  1. Check to see if your left or your right arm muscles are tight or loose

  2. Check to see if your left or your right calf/leg muscles are tight or loose AND

  3. Check to see if your shoulder and neck muscles on the left compared to your right are tight or loose

• NEXT – Do a Short, Shallow Breath Test

  1. Breathe in several breaths quickly – make certain that they are no deeper than your upper chest and that they each last about a second.

• NOW – Do a quick Post SSB (Short, Shallow Breath) Body Scan –

  1. Check to see if your left and/or your right arm muscles are tight or loose

  2. Check to see if your left and/or your right calf and leg muscles are tight or loose AND

  3. Check to see if your shoulder and neck muscles on the left compared to your right are tight or loose – or are they both tight and READY FOR ACTION

• CREATE a quick summary of your sense of your muscle tone and whether your mind and your body are more ready for action or more relaxed and calm

.

• In particular, you want to be able to compare this sense of your mind and body to the results that you will get after your Long, Deep Breath Test as follows

• NOW – Do a Long, Deep Breath Test

1. Breathe in several slow deep breaths

   • Make certain that each breath goes all the way into your belly and that you are breathing in for at least 3 full seconds (5 to 7 or even 8 seconds also create an insightful comparison between your body’s reaction to SSBs vs. LDBs)

• NEXT – Do a quick Post LDB (Long, Deep Breath) Body Scan

  • Make 2 comparisons –

  • First, compare your muscle tension or softness on your left vs. right and

  • Check to see if your left and/or your right arm muscles are tight or loose

  • Check to see if your left and/or your right calf and leg muscles are tight or loose AND

  • Check to see if your shoulder and neck muscles on the left compared to your right are tight or loose – or are both sides softer and more pliable, especially compared to your Short, Shallow Breath body scan.

  • Second, compare your muscle tension or softness to the muscle tension or softness that you experienced during your Short Shallow Breath body scan, In other words,

  • Compare how your body and mind reacted to Short Shallow Breaths compared to Long Deep Breaths

  A Quick Summary of What you Can Find Out about Your Short Shallow Breaths vs. Your Long Deep Breaths:

  Short, Shallow breaths tend to

  • Focus your attention on specific points

  • Ready your muscles for action

  • Often fight or flight

  – Fun Fact – Short, Shallow Breaths are often associated with anxiety and depression (though the quality of each is a bit different)

  Long, Deep breaths tend to

  • Broaden your attention to consider possibilities and direct your action vs. impulsively react (the latter is a SSB tendency)

  • Relax your muscles to enjoy calm, or should you choose, engage for action – AKA Exercise Choice over Reaction

  – Fun Fact – Long, Deep Breaths are a signal to your body that you are in a safe zone.  In other words, LDBs signal to your body that you have

  • Time to Consider Possibilities and your Options and then to have time to

  • Assess and Decide on your Best Next Move and to

  • Act based on your more thorough assessment of a situation rather than by the impulse tendency of the SSBs that are geared to action that “may save your life”.

  Have a Great Week!

  And Breathe On!

  Christine

  The Mind body Whisperer – Dedicated to Helping You Optimize for Your Favorite Sport and for You Best Life!