Breathe in, breathe out

You can activate the PNS in many ways, including relaxation, big exhalations, touching the lips, mindfulness of the body, imagery, balancing your heartbeat, and meditation.

The group trained by Hof were able to control their heart rate, temperature, and immune response, and stimulate the sympathetic system. This practice of heavy breathing along with regular cold exposure was later discovered to release the stress hormones adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine on command. The burst of adrenaline gave heavy breather

When you stimulate the parasympathetic wing of the ANS, calming, soothing, healing ripples spread through your body, brain, and mind.

Breath of calm

This practice uses the technique of alternate nostril breathing that has been shown in studies to effectively reduce anxiety, combined with an exhale that is twice the length of the inhale. Longer exhales are key for the down-regulation of the parasympathetic nervous system

To activate the sympathetic nervous system (autonomic arousal ⬆️): emphasize longer and stronger inhales. To activate the parasympathetic nervous system (autonomic arousal ⬇️): emphasize longer and slower exhales.

example, take five breaths, inhaling and exhaling a little more fully than usual. This is both energizing and relaxing, activating first the sympathetic system and then the parasympathetic one, back and forth, in a gentle rhythm. Notice how you feel when you’re done. That combination of aliveness and centeredness is the essence of the peak performa

In the practice of the Ha Breath, the exhalation is longer which helps you bring your nervous system into a parasympathetic state. You will be invited to contract your throat on the exhalation, making the ocean sound “Haaaaaaaa.”

When you feel tightness build in your chest or have an overwhelming sense of angst, pause and try taking a 4-7-8 Belly Breath: inhale for 4 counts through your nose, hold for 7 counts, exhale through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat four times. You’ll notice an immediate release of pressure. From here, aim to operate from that little patch of calm y

I found a library’s worth of material. The problem was, the sources were hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years old.

Seven books of the Chinese Tao dating back to around 400 BCE focused entirely on breathing, how it could kill us or heal us, depending on how we used it. These manuscripts included detailed instructions on how to regulate the breath,