Deep Breathing for the Nervous System

Dr Lauden Fogel Mersy said, "Deep breathing is our nervous system's love language," and when we don't breathe, it causes stress in both the nervous system and our bodies. Diaphragmatic breathing- belly and abdominal breathing- was not on my radar until I met with my naturopathic doctor to discuss stress. I laugh now, thinking, "What stress?" I wasn't taking the full breath into my lungs, which means I wasn't fully exhaling.
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Breathing exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system, a network of nerves that helps our bodies relax after stressful or dangerous situations. It also helps life-sustaining processes like digestion. This year, I learned how to reset my old breathing patterns by locating the tension through somatic therapeutic massage.  Areas like my neck, chest, shoulders, and even biceps used to be so tense that they hurt to the touch. No wonder I felt stressed and was not fully breathing. When the therapist held the muscle in place and took it to its range of motion, wow- that was intense. I am able to move better now that those areas were released.
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Now I have two goals when it coms to breathing. The first is to take time out for conscious breathing. I have been practicing box breathing in particular: breathing in for a 4 second count, holding for 4 seconds, breathing out for 4 seconds, then holding again for 4 seconds. Fully breathe in and out and through your nose and pay attention to the sensations in your body. Diaphragmatic breathing can have a gentle massage-like effect on the internal organs such as the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas. This can potentially aid in digestion and overall organ function by delivering more blood flow and oxygen to them. 

The second is to breathe while exercising. It might seem obvious, but I have seen a lot of people hold their breath when workout out or lifting weights. Not breathing puts double stress on your body- stress from training on top of stress from not breathing. This puts people off working out because it feels way harder than it has to!

How can you implement this into your life? Baby steps. Take a minute in your day- I like to do this in the morning- and breathe fully for 1 minute. This can be a meditative process as well. Or you can pause for one or two conscious breaths at any time throughout your day, multiple times a day. This will pull you back into the moment and over time, help you stay in your body and present-minded. So take a deep breath and enjoy the benefits- including less stress and better sleep!