Breathing Coherently helped revive and rejuvenate better than any elixir.
But really, getting up early mornings at 3am; 4am; 5 am … then having an incredible urge to simply collapse and just sleep early afternoons at 3pm 4pm and 5pm the last 2 weeks has not helped me be the best version of myself … finally, though, regaining my rhythm by breathing yogic and teaching everyday.
One month in Asia was actually … stressful. While there were moments of many joys (and so many yummy foods) enough to offset the challenges I had hoped. We are all vulnerable to – so much pain in experiencing losses; to see someone once a bedrock of reliability no longer be that; to come to terms with the idea of “impermanence” – the only thing that does not change is change itself; grieving experienced in that suffocating heat, humid heat.
Interesting Read:
When an individual experiences more stress than their system can handle, particularly repeated or prolonged stress, there will be adverse effects on their emotional and physical health. Initially the person may just feel some tension, excess worry, and some difficulty falling asleep.
This can progress to actual anxiety, obsessive worry, insomnia, daytime fatigue, irritability and muscle aches. During this time the stress-response system is doing its best to cope, possibly releasing more cortisol, more adrenaline, more excitatory neurotransmitters, all of which burns more energy, release more free radicals, and increases inflammation... if this goes on too long, the stress-response system my become exhausted, leading to a state of depression, chronic fatigue, over-reactivity, feelings of being overwhelmed or helpless and the progression of physical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. It is possible to prevent or even reverse this progression by increasing the strength, balance, and resilience of the stress response system.
Richard P. Brown, MD; Patricial L. Gerbarg MD
excerpt from “The Healing Power of the Breath”
So they go on to make the Heart Rate Variability(HRV) connection to our Nervous System. Apparently a higher rate of HRV is associated with a healthier, more flexible, less rigid cardiovascular system, a more balanced and resilient stress-response system and overall greater health and longevity, PER Dr. Gerbarg and Dr. Brown “In fact, scientists use HRV as a means of measuring the balance of the stress-response system and a balanced stress response means less wear and tear on the body.”
When scientists tested people at all possible breathing rates, they found that there is an ideal breath ratio for each person, somewhere between three and a half and six breaths per minutes for adults using equal time for breathing in and breathing out, a sweet spot where the HRV is maximized and the electrical rhythms of the heart, lungs, and brain become synchronized. Modern researchers have called this the resonant rate … (yogis knew this all along – we call it “pure” breath)
then goes on to say that this was known by religious adepts in many cultures siting Zen Buddhist monks for example have been practicing this “resonant” breathing during zazen for centuries …
So good:) Let’s find that SWEET SPOT in our RESONANT BREATH. Remember, your heart is just a pump, your nerves just your electrical cabling and wiring, unless you overlay them with your loving compassionate thoughts and feelings. One breath at a time. At least, that’s my intention whenever I practice; what about yours?