Respiratory control is a valuable and flexible tool to deal with anxiety and prevent stress. For meditators, it is at the heart of their practice. Nowadays, there are more and more consumers of anxiolytics, these drugs which are prescribed to fight anxiety. However, there are other alternatives to taking pills as soon as a stressful situation occurs. Respiratory control is one of them. It helps you recover your peace of mind, deepen a state of relaxation and adopt new reflexes to better apprehend your emotions.
Stress and Breathing and Inextricably Linked
In order to understand how breathing can help you cope with stress, it is important to review the effects of stress on your respiration. When stressed, your breath usually becomes shorter, faster and is located at the level of the rib cage. It is called hyperventilation, a normal reaction in case of alert. But when it becomes persistent, it is often accompanied with unpleasant senses that reinforce the discomfort. Thus, you can be caught in small vertigo, sweat and have palpitations.
On the other hand, a slow and deep breath is the first thing doctors recommend to stressed patients. Keepingto takelong breathes for a few minutes will balance the autonomic nervous systems and regulate all of you major functions including the heart.Being able to activate this breathing control canbe very useful. However, it requires a short training phase to learn the right intermittent breathing exercice for stress and anxiety relief.
A Deep Breath for a Deeper relaxation
It is essential to know that breathcontrol is not only an anti-stress solution. It also helps create a genuine sensation of relaxation. To this end, you have to spend at least ten minutes per session in a quiet moment. You can do it immediately when you feel on the verge of stress or anxiety. It will be even more effective if you associate it whether with the so-called centering techniques (on different parts of the body, the face or the hands for example) or with mental visualization (by picturing your favorite color, a place that you particularly cherish, a pleasant memory). This exercise will induce a feeling of well-being and deeper relaxation.
Another breathing technique can be practiced during mindfulness meditation. Inspired by Oriental wisdom, it consists of focusing on the present moment, its sensations and perceptions. Popularized for a decade in Europe and America, it providesyou with a detached and serene mental state to avert theeffects of stress. The breathing is here rather natural, quiet and not necessarily slow.At first, you do it while sitting, remaining vigilant and paying attention to what is really happening inside you without any judgment or culpability. Then you will start moving while staying present.
