3 simple breathing techniques for stress relief

The stress dis-ease

Stress is a huge issue for millions of people around the world. Health professionals now know that elevated levels of stress have a huge physiological impact on the body as well as the mind. If the stress is not relieved, the body engages in a "fight or flight" response, drawing energy away from other vital functions. After only a few days or weeks of elevated stress a person will start to experience notable side effects: body aches from clenched muscles, headaches, insomnia, digestive problems. Over time, the immune system is weakened and we become prone to illnesses, have increased or decreased appetite and our basic bodily functions like the bowels, hormone production and menstruation can be affected.

And of course, stress also affects our relationships, as we are prone to mood swings, irritability, depression, outbursts of anger, anxiety and uncharacteristic behaviour. Stress has also been linked to serious and chronic conditions like heart disorders and ulcers.

The good news is that there are some simple techniques (including movement, meditation and breath work) that anyone can use to help reduce the physiological condition of stress.

 

Breathing away Stress

The following pranayamas - techniques for working with the breath - can be practiced by anyone and are effective at calming the mind and the body (although if you feel any strange side effects or/and have a medical condition, caution is of course the best way forward!). They can be practiced one by one, or in the sequence suggested here. I also recommend you get a timer - use a function on your watch or phone, or download a free app - so you're not spending energy thinking about the duration of the exercises. Also, please note that the effects of each breath, given in parentheses, are generally accepted but not universal - the results will be different from person to person. In addition, these are results of a regular practice - a one-off attempt may not lead to noticeable improvement although you should be able to feel some calming effects even after only once.

These can be practiced together or individually, any time, anywhere! On the train, on a plane, in a long line, with the kids, at your desk, even in your car (with the eyes open of course)! But for absolute best results, find yourself a nice quiet space, maybe light a candle or two, play some relaxing music, and get some comfy blankets and pillows so you can sit and lie down comfortably.

1. Belly breathing (3-5 mins)
(Calming, relieves anxiety, reduces anger, stabilises mood swings)

[Once you've practiced this technique for a bit, belly breathing can be done sitting or standing and is super-effective if you need a quick calm-down breath, because you can do it anywhere, even mid-meeting or conversation, without anyone else really noticing. But to begin with, try it lying down. The first few times, it can also be helpful to place both hands on the belly, although eventually you may not need them anymore.]

Begin lying down with both hands on the belly, eyes closed. Take a few moments to become aware of your breathing. Then as you inhale, try to channel as much of your breath as possible into the belly, feeling the hands rise as the belly expands. As you exhale, feel the hands fall back towards the body. Once you are comfortable, make the breaths slower and deeper.


When you practice this breath, your chest and shoulders should remain fairly still, since you are channeling the breath into the belly. To check this, try doing belly breathing with one hand on the belly and one hand on your upper chest. If you are belly breathing correctly, the hand on the belly should rise and fall, while the hand on the chest should stay relatively still.

2. Chandra Bhedana Pranayama - moon breath (5-8 mins)
(Calming, cooling, improves sleep, reduxes anxiety or panic)

Begin this pranayama kneeling on the floor, with your hips resting on your heels. Put cushions underneath your feet and knees, and between your heels and buttocks if that's more comfortable. If you're not comfortable on the floor, sit on a chair with both feet on the ground, about hip width apart. Take a few deep breaths here.

Once you are comfortable, raise your right hand and place your index and middle finger on the forehead. Your right elbow should be hanging loose in front of your body. Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. Breathe deeply and slowly in through the left nostril. At the end of your inhalation, release your thumb and use your ring finger to close your left nostril. Exhale a long deep breath through the right nostril. Continue breathing in through the left, out through the right. For best effects, keep the spine straight and the belly completely relaxed.

When you are done (Try about 3 minutes to begin with, working to 8 minutes which is considered a good time for the breath to be effective), sit quietly and breathe normally, and observe the effects.  This is a good one to practice about 20 minutes before you go to bed - or even in bed if you can't sleep!

3. Bastrika - the bellows breath (3-6 repetitions)
(Reduces stress, depression, anxiety, headaches, and boosts the immune system. This is an energising breath so best not performed at night - try it first thing in the morning, or use it in the office during a break!)

If you can, sit in a kneeling position to perform this breathing technique, with your buttocks resting gently on your heels. If that's not comfortable for you, sit on a chair with both feet flat on the ground, about hip distance apart.

I've given you two variations here to try. For both, begin by taking a long full breath in through the nose, filling the belly and chest as much as possible.

Variation 1 (classic variation): Raise your arms all the way above your head as you inhale, taking a deep, full breath. Exhale rapidly in one go, "blasting" air out through the mouth and bringing the arms down rapidly as you do. As you inhale again, raise the arms all the way up. Repeat 10 times initially, building to 3 sets of 10 with resting breaths in between.

Variation 2:  Bring your hands to your hips. Take a deep, full breath in, and as you exhale, "blast" the breath out through the mouth in short bursts. As you do so, begin to bend forward at the waist. It may take a few tries to get the rhythm that is right for you, but when you do, you should end up "blasting" the breath out in 6-9 short bursts, with the last of the air leaving your lungs as you reach the lowest point (lying on your knees, with the head resting on the floor or a pillow). Repeat 3-6 times.

After the last repetition of either variation, remain folded forward with your head resting on a pillow or the floor. Breathe normally and observe the effects for a minute or so.

 

How it works

The breath is the body's most critical function, so it's no great surprise that the way we breathe can have an impact on our state of mind, emotions and well-being.  Our breathing is controlled by a great big dome-shaped muscle called the diaphragm that sits underneath the rib cage. The diaphragm is attached - yes, physically attached - to the layers of tissue that surround the heart muscle. So when we breathe, it affects our heart as well: rapid, shallow breathing puts stress on the heart, causing it to beat faster, while slow, deep reduces tension on the heart muscle, causing it to beat a bit more slowly.  

When we are stressed, we unconsciously tend to breathe shallowly and quickly, and the body pumps more oxygen to the heart in case it needs to engage a "fight or flight response". This automatically puts other, "secondary" bodily functions on hold, especially "nourishing" processes, such as digestion, sleep, and restoration of the cells (which is why we get sick so much when we're stressed!). The breathing techniques here emphasise deep, regular breaths and activate areas of the nervous system (the parasympathetic system) which tell the body to relax and engage in healing and nourishing processes.

 

Stress and Yoga Asana - a postscript

Many health professionals nowadays recommend yoga for people who are overly stressed. However, your average yoga class today may not actually be a stress-reducing experience. Dynamic forms of yoga, especially if there is not a lot of time for relaxation at the end of the class (10 minutes should be the minimum, but I've been to many classes where only 5 mins, or 3 minutes are left for relaxation!) may not bring your body and mind out of stress. Some of the most dynamic forms also seem to bring out in us a competitive and self-critical edge as we are challenged by the postures - not exactly a way to let go of anxiety!

If you are seeking a yoga class for the explicit purpose of reducing your stress, give yourself the gift of really doing it right! Find a class that is relaxing and breath focused. Yin Yoga and restorative yoga are especially good for stress relief because the long, supported stretches activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is concerned with rest, nurture and healing.

Blog image from: http://lessonsonstress.tumblr.com/

6 tips for practising yoga in winter

A while back, I wrote a post on practising yoga in the cold, and got some great replies and tips in the comments. A friend of mine commented recently, giving some great ideas and asking if there is anything else that I learned.  Now that I am back in the tropics for a while, those cold dark mornings seem far away, and the distance makes it easier to reflect on practising through the winter.  So here are a few general reflections I have on how to maintain your practice during the winter months.

1) Get enough sleep: it's already hard to wake up early on a cold dark morning, or step on your mat after the sun has gone down. A well-rested body is absolutely key!

2) Brighten up your space: turn the lights on, drape furniture in bright cloth, wear bright colours, play music - add some cheer to your space. This really helped keep me going for my morning practice - I don't usually practice to music but in the winter I found it absolutely life-saving!

3) Add some heat-inducing pranayama to your practice, such as: Ujayi breath, Udiyana kriya / nauli, bhastrika & kaphalabati.  (If anyone wants more info on those, just ask!)

4) Warm up properly! In winter (especially with a morning practice) I found I really needed to warm up the body more. I added sun salutations to my warm-up, and kept up a brisk pace through my practice.  If you have a flow practice with a varied routine, winter is a great time to add dynamic standing poses, balances and twists that generate heat from the core, like Utkatasana (chair pose), parvritta trikonasana (reverse triangle), parvritta parsvakonasana (reverse extended angle pose), Warrior III, Garudasana (Eagle Pose), Plank Pose & Side Plank Pose. Be more cautious about going into deep forward bends, hip openers or backbends, since your muscles may not be as warmed up as they are in the summer months - take lots of time to warm up to these. Take vinyasas between sitting poses to keep the body heated, and keep some warm socks and a sweater / blanket ready for your meditation and savasana.

5) Modify your diet: Eat warm, cooked foods in winter to balance out the cold.  If you are a student of yoga, chances are you have come across Ayurveda, the yogic lifestyle science, (if you need a refresher, have a look at this post), which allows you to look at the elements of your individual constitution, and identify imbalances. Cold, dry winters are most likely to aggravate Vata, and cold, wet winters are most likely to aggravate Kapha, which may cause imbalances. If you feel that winter throws you particularly out of balance, it might be worth delving deeper into your ayurvedic type and adopting some of the lifestyle recommendations specific to you.  Ayurveda also offers some suggestions for what type of physical practice might suit you best or balance your imbalances.

6) Practice at different times: Some people (like me!) really benefit from having a regular practice time and sticking to it, but others may find that varying your practice time can help you maintain a practice during the winter months.  If you are able to, try practicing at different times of day and see what suits you best.

7) If you are teaching in winter, you can also include many of these tips in your teaching routine. Winter classes can be a great opportunity to bring your students into challenging standing sequences, and work on core strength. Make sure your students are properly warmed up by adding heating poses to your warm up sequence, like cat / cow balance (opposite arm and leg raised), one-legged cat/cow (on inhale, extend one leg out behind you, on exhale hug the knee to the chest and engage the core), plank pose variations (one legged plank or side plank), utkatasana with twists. Warn your students to be especially cautious with hamstrings, hips and lower back, and to make sure they feel properly warmed up before trying deep poses in these areas.

And, just for fun, check out this page for some yogis who thought they'd take their winter practice a bit farther and practice yoga in the snow!!  Also, check out more amazing snow crystal photos like the one above at Snow Crystals.com!

Pranayama and Pain Relief: A guest post

This is the first installment in a series of guest posts about Yoga and Healing.  Stay tuned for more - and if you have a story to contribute, please get in touch with me: lagitane at mac dot com. ;)

Today's post is special because it looks at how modern science is validating knowledge that both ancient and modern yogis have discovered through their experiences.  And even better, it's presented by a *real* scientist! :)

John Fossella PhD is a former neuroscience & genetics scientist who, in May of 2010, decided to stay at home and raise his 2 children.  He also started a yoga practice @ Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ and so now is just slowly starting to realize the physical and mental benefits of yoga.  In the midst of practice, practice and more practice, he wonders just how – in terms of physiological and brain systems – the gradual transformation of the body and mind occurs (or in his case, will hopefully occur) and how the modern scientific view relates to ancient yogic medicine and philosophy.  He is blessed to be able to share his practice with his 2 boys who are enrolled in the kids yoga program @ Alluem. 


He blogs about his experiences with the practice of yoga over at Sutra Science, and about genetics and self-discovery at Genes to Brains to Mind to Me.

Pranayama destroys all pain and sorrow

In Chapter 8 of B. K. S. Iyengar's Light on Pranayama, he quotes the Bhagavad Gita (VI 17) saying, "Yoga destroys all pain and sorrow". Nice! and this is just one of dozens of poetic and inspiring sentiments that are woven into the otherwise detailed and rigorous methods described by Iyengar for the training of the lungs, diaphragm and intercostal muscles. Although I know the training is extensive and will surely take many years to master, I can't help wonder how much pain and sorrow, realistically, might be alleviated by the mastery of something as basic as - you know - breathing?

How might this work? I mean, pain is something that happens in your body and in your mind. How might mastery of deep and controlled breathing alleviate pain?

It turns out that there is a scientific research journal - Pain - that is dedicated to these types of questions. A recent article, "The effects of slow breathing on affective responses to pain stimuli: An experimental study" [doi:10.1016/j.pain.2009.10.001] by Alex Zautra and colleagues investigates the role of breathing in relief from chronic pain. The authors base their research on a specific neuroanatomical model of emotion and pain regulation:

The homeostatic neuroanatomical model of emotion proposes that the left forebrain is associated predominantly with parasympathetic activity, and thus with nourishment, safety, positive affect, approach (appetitive) behavior, and group-oriented (affiliative) emotions, while the right forebrain is associated predominantly with sympathetic activity, and thus with arousal, danger, negative affect, withdrawal (aversive) behavior, and individual-oriented (survival) emotions. ... The homeostatic neuroanatomical model of emotion suggests that central sensitization of pain in FM patients results in part from a relative deficit of activity in the parasympathetic branch of the ANS required for down-regulation of negative emotion and pain experience.

In basic terms, the researchers suggest that if one can increase activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, then one will experience relief from pain. So they want to evaluate whether deep breathing increases activity of the parasympathetic nervous system? In Chapter 4 of Light on Pranayama (Pranayama and the Respiratory System), Iyengar provides many detailed anatomical drawings of the musculature, skeletal and neural machinery related to breathing, but unfortunately no details on the role of parasympathetic vs. sympathetic nervous systems per se. The authors however, point to a previous study that showed slow breathing increases activation of bronchiopulmonary vagal afferents and produces enhanced heart rate variability, which reflects increased parasympathetic tone - so the scientific evidence points in the right direction.

To test the notion themselves, the investigators asked a group of healthy adult females to wear a small thermal device on the thumb that could be heated and cooled to produce varying levels of moderate discomfort (pain). By asking the volunteers to experience the thermal discomfort when breathing normally vs. breathing in a slower, deeper manner, the investigators could begin to assess whether the experience of pain (a self-reported value between 1 and 11) was different between the two breathing conditions.

The results showed that the volunteers self-reported less pain (given the same amount of thermal stimulation) when performing deep, slow breathing.

Very neat. Perhaps not a surprise to yogis 3,000 years ago nor experienced yogis today, but very exciting to see how the practice of Pranayama can engage a neuroanatomical system for the relief of suffering. In a previous post on the neural stimulation of this system - and its relation to Kundalini - it has become even more clear how potent this system can be!

 --------------------------------

Readers, have you ever experienced the effect John talks about, where slow, deep breathing can actually help relieve your pain? What is your experience with Yoga and pain relief?