The practice of using the breath to affect the mind has been utilized in healing and spiritual practices for thousands of years. Fast forward to the 21st century and breathing practices that have their foundation in ancient India are now commonly used in professional sports, in medicine and now in the corporate world, particularly as a means to solve problems.
If you are hyperventilating breathe into a paper bag. You really don’t need the paper bag. All you need is to take 10 slow deep breaths to put “you” back in control. Slow deep breathing with the emphasis on slow exhales calms the body and quiets the racing mind. When you are faced with a significant problem, the first step is always to calm down so that you can regain focus, regain control; Taking the mind from a problem fear state, to a solution state. Prolonged states of fear can result in procrastination and depression or anxiety and panic. Most problems escalate as time goes on so let’s begin now.
Inhale thru your nose deep into your belly and exhale slowly thru your lips as though you were blowing out thru a straw. The focus is on the exhale. Making each exhale a little longer, a little slower. We frequently see Olympic athletes utilize this breath right before they do their gymnastic event. The TV camera will zoom in on the athlete. Their shoulders and chest expand with the inhale and then you see their mouth change shape and slowly release the exhale thru the lips, letting the tension flow out of their body. This breath technique releases the tension and allows for calm focused control. Generally, 5-10 breaths will accomplish the calm attitude needed to move forward with problem solving.
Once calmness is established a second technique can be utilized to tap into our brains ability to think outside of the box. Especially important when a situation is complex and no easy solution is apparent. Alternate nostril breathing activates the Right brain Left brain allowing for both creativity and practicality to surface. It has an additional advantage of oxygenating the brain, waking you up, increasing your alertness.
Ancient Yogi’s called this breath Kapalabhati; difficult name to say but easy breath practice to do.
Sit up in a relaxed position with your back straight. Using your thumb and middle finger of your right hand place the thumb on side of your nose pressing lightly and Exhale forcefully, then release and press finger on left side of nostril and exhale forcefully again. The action is somewhat like clearing your nostril of an irritating dust particle. The lips are gently close. The action is quick back and forth, right, left, right, left. Do this for a set of 25. Then relax, breathe normally, then repeat with another set of 25.
The emphasis here is all on the exhale. The inhale happens automatically. Let me say that again because most people don’t believe me. The inhale will automatically happen. The hardest part of this technique is believing the inhale happens without you doing anything. The other aspect of this technique to keep in mind is the pressure on the nose with your finger is very, very, light. You barely touch your nostril.
In the beginning do 4 sets of 25 until you become comfortable. Once you get the hang of it you can add in a second set of 4 or take on a more advanced step by holding your breath at the end of each round of 25. Hold the breath out for a count of 4, then inhale half-way holding the breath for another count of 4. Then release, let go of everything and just feel your breath as it slowly normalizes. After 30 seconds repeat the next round of 25. A total of 4 sets of 25 breaths takes less than 5 minutes. At the very end sit for another 5 minutes in simple meditative awareness. Kapalabhati sounds complicated but is easy and very effective at oxygenating and engaging both right and left brain, thereby enhancing creative and practical problem solving.
Give it a try, easy to do and results are far reaching. Contact Susan Fritz, RN if you need any additional help implementing this technique or want to know more.