Breathing

I remember many years ago the Dalai Lama was asked a question on what people could do when they were in a difficult moment and he replied simply with one word.

'breathe’.

Although I heard this many years ago his wise words have always stayed with me. It was the simplicity of it that resonated with me. How often do we take a moment and appreciate the fact that it is our ability to breath oxygen that keeps us alive. Paying homage and respect to this automatic function is the first step to stay connected to our body.

Many trauma therapists will focus on bringing the anxiety down to a level that helps us to ground ourselves and be more present. In a stressful moment, adrenaline rushes through the body creating the fight/flight response and we have what people often describe as an out of body response. We disconnect from the very source that can provide immediate comfort to us, our breath and more specifically our patterns of breathing.

I have for many years been interested in neuroscience and how I can integrate this to my own therapeutic practice. There is a wealth of information out there and understanding the way the brain functions can help us when we are stressed and feel overwhelmed.  Recently I have become fascinated by the work done by Dr Andrew Huberman. I won’t say too much about Dr Huberman as you can search Google and find many sources about his work on brain chemistry and changing ourselves.

Below is a short video on how breathing can help us gain more control of the situation. You will find some simple breathing exercises you can immediately do to help you to focus and remain calm in stressful situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSwQSb-Cb7U

I hope you will find todays blog post useful. If you would like to discuss how I can help you in finding solutions and exploring current situations, please get in touch. Until the next post, have a peaceful week and stay safe.

Raj

Tweet