A Simple Tool to Fight Stress
At one time in our lives, we have all attempted meditation. That is usually where the attempt ends, with us sat cross-legged on the floor, wondering how the simple act of breathing can be so elusive.
The guides we watch never seem to help. We find a YouTube video, selecting one with the most mellow looking person. This guy must know the answer, we say, they have dreadlocks and everything!
Now, these aromatically challenged individuals do know how to meditate, but here is the problem. They suck at explaining it.
Within seconds of them mentioning chi, inner energy, or the oneness of the universe, you shake your head and close the video. What a shame, you think to yourself. Too many mushrooms.
The way these well-meaning individuals over-complicate meditation drives people away from what should be a simple, highly beneficial practice. It infuriates me.
That is why I am writing this article. After years of self-practice and research, I believe I can banish the mysticism that permeates meditation. Now, let’s talk about muscle.
The most interesting muscle
This is the Diaphragm
The Diaphragm is the main muscle of respiration, and similar to your biceps, you can consciously control it. Remember this, because it is important.
When you breathe, you bring in oxygen. When you exhale, you remove carbon dioxide. Pretty simple, right?
Our lungs maintain at all times a balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen. When our breathing becomes chronically weak, which it does with the majority of people, our carbon dioxide levels rise. This leads to low, but chronic, levels of stress.
Now here is where the diaphragm re-enters the game. Because you can flex it the same way you would your bicep, this means that by consciously altering your breathing pattern, you can offload carbon dioxide and uptake oxygen at will. Perhaps, when well-meaning yogis speak about Ying and Yang, the inner balance of our energy, this is what they are grasping at. They have experienced it, they know it is a real phenomenon, but they are unable to explain it without throwing a mishmash of mysticism at you. Bless them.
The Physiological Sigh- The most interesting tool
Let’s get to the good stuff. The physiological sigh is simple: Take two strong inhales through the nose, separated by a slight pause, followed by a long exhale. This double inhale followed by a longer exhale brings in large amounts of oxygen, and maximizes the offloading of carbon dioxide.
What is really interesting, is you can see this method being used by animals to calm themselves after stressful situations. It even makes an appearance in sobbing children, who will gasp down two quick, strong breathes, followed by a slower exhale. This is done unconsciously, by instinct, but can also be performed consciously. You can do it while running, after a stressful argument, even right now.
According to Andrew Huberman, a Professor of Neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University, simply performing two or three of these physiological sighs leads to substantial reductions in stress.
I believe this tool is the simplest, and most effective, that you can adopt right now. If you want to read more about the science of breathing and how it changes our mental and physical states, Dr. Jack Feldman and Professor Andrew Huberman are your best sources, and they are only a google search away. I hope you enjoyed this article. Isn’t the internet wonderful.
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