Practitioner Articles
The way you breathe can affect your health by Mary Gaynor
The way you breathe can affect your health
BREATHING— something we do everyday all day.It is an unconscious activity that delivers the much needed oxygen around our bodies to keep us alive.But did you know the way you actually breathe can have a huge impact on the state of your health and nervous system?
The Parasympathetic nervous system( rest and digest state) is where you should spend most of your time in a relaxed , calm state where breathing is long, deep inhales and exhales. We flick over to the Sympathetic nervous system ( fight and flight mode) in times of danger and emergency, your body becoming alert, breathing short and shallow.
Once the crisis has ended you normally switch back to rest mode and on it goes.STRESS will trigger your system to flick back to fight / fight mode and constant stress will keep you in this state permanently which can have a horrendous impact on your health .BUT by managing and being aware of how you breathe you can change this!
By consciously maintaining long, slow, deep breaths in and out you are telling your body that all is ok. It slows your heart rate which brings you back to a place where you can function in a calmer state. By constantly practicing this deep breathing, you are also training your Parasympathetic nervous system to become resilient and to remain in a calm state which in turn influences the rest of your body to do the same therefore having a positive impact on your overall health.
So …start your day with 10 deep slow breaths, repeat throughout the day and finish again with 10 deep slow breaths before you sleep and over time you won’t even realise that you are doing it ! Your body will be eternally grateful and I reckon those around you will be too.
Mary works out of Qi offering Energy Healing, Kinesiology & Facial Serenity Massage every Tuesday
