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Showing posts with label Breathing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breathing. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
BodyTalk, How To Balance Your Brain
BodyTalk, Balancing the Cortices
CORTICES is the plural of cortex which is the outer layer of the brain called the cerebrum (the cerebral cortex), composed of folded gray matter and playing an important role in consciousness.
"One of the very important things about balancing the cortices is that it helps to shift the body and mind out of ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic) and into ‘growth and healing‘ (parasympathetic).
We often get stuck in flight or flight which causes great stress to the body, and breaks down those communication pathways in the body. It’s like too many plugs are plugged in and our circuits ‘blow’. This causes us to get stuck in a stressful state, and from this place, everything is more difficult - including healing.
Balancing the cortices also balanced the right/left brain which is fundamental for a healthy body and mind.
The right brain is the more intuitive side, imagination and it can work holistically - looking at the big picture. It is responsible for our creativity and and artistic abilities.
The left brain is responsible for our reasoning, logic and thought. It looks at the details and works in a linear way therefor it is slower. It is our knowledge and our learned behaviors.
What we would like is to have both sides of the brain working together to provide us with the ability to connect to the big pictures whilst knowing the details, have logic AND intuition, be able to be aware of where we’re going at the same time as knowing the steps to take.
Balancing the cortices daily starts to bring the body and brain back to a state of health where we can naturally move between different events without getting stuck in fight or flight and start to live using our whole brain.
I highly recommend balancing your cortices in the morning when you wake up, before you go to sleep, and if you have any kind of shock or trauma. If you have an accident, a headache, cut yourself, are stressed out, or receive some bad news.
Tap out your cortices and watch how you relax and return to a place where the body can start healing."
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Adapt and thrive by knowing how.
Breathing and imagery are powerful tools allowing you to adapt to stress and change, using ancient truths and cutting edge research on the function of the brain.
Begin to understand the secret to remaining well amid the stress and chaos of the modern world. Adapt and thrive by knowing how to regain calmness and equanimity.
Begin by breathing deeply as often as you can. Send your awareness deep into your lower belly, allowing your body to expand as you inhale, through your solar plexus, filling your lungs from the bottom up, all the way up to your collarbone. Hold for a moment and then exhale, releasing your collarbone first in a big sigh of release, relief and relaxation, allowing a sense of well-being to wash through your entire body, from the top of your head, all the way down to the tips of our toes.
This slow exhale resets the body’s balance. Changes in body chemistry associated with anxiety, chronic pain, and many other functional problems may come from lack of deep breathing.
During the inhale think the word “love”. Universal love and consciousness is called “shen” in ancient Chinese Five Elements Medicine. “Shen” resides in the Heart. Visualize the heart and see the word “shen” within your heart as you breathe deeply and slowly and naturally.
On the exhale, think one of the following words: happiness, joy, love, or calmness, changing the words with each exhale.
This technique is powerful so practice it often.
Begin to understand the secret to remaining well amid the stress and chaos of the modern world. Adapt and thrive by knowing how to regain calmness and equanimity.
Begin by breathing deeply as often as you can. Send your awareness deep into your lower belly, allowing your body to expand as you inhale, through your solar plexus, filling your lungs from the bottom up, all the way up to your collarbone. Hold for a moment and then exhale, releasing your collarbone first in a big sigh of release, relief and relaxation, allowing a sense of well-being to wash through your entire body, from the top of your head, all the way down to the tips of our toes.
This slow exhale resets the body’s balance. Changes in body chemistry associated with anxiety, chronic pain, and many other functional problems may come from lack of deep breathing.
During the inhale think the word “love”. Universal love and consciousness is called “shen” in ancient Chinese Five Elements Medicine. “Shen” resides in the Heart. Visualize the heart and see the word “shen” within your heart as you breathe deeply and slowly and naturally.
On the exhale, think one of the following words: happiness, joy, love, or calmness, changing the words with each exhale.
This technique is powerful so practice it often.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Natural Breathing
Authentic Breathing® Resources LLC
Natural Breathing For Health, Well-Being, Longevity, and Self-Transformation
"The process of breathing is a living metaphor for understanding how to expand our sense of ourselves and be present not just to the miraculous energies of life that are both in and around us but also to the deep silence and spaciousness out of which these energies arise.
By checking in on your breathing, by noticing all the inner and outer movements of your breath as they take place, you are actually getting in touch with a deeper, more-conscious dimension of your own being.
Allowing your breath to take you deeper inside yourself, however, takes practice.
So check in on your breathing right now.
Allow all the sensations of your breath, all the internal and external movements related to how you are breathing now, to enter your awareness.
See if you can discover a quiet, non-judgmental place in yourself.
Just be aware, without any attempt to manipulate your breathing, of what your breath feels like and how this awareness influences your sensation of yourself.
Breath is life and movement. Let your breath engage and fill every part of your body, especially your belly, back, spine, and chest.
Inhale and exhale through your nose.
To transform your breathing, start with your exhalation, with “letting go.”
Be sure your belly stays relaxed. Let it expand as you inhale and retract as you exhale. Your belly is the foundation of your breath.
A long, slow exhalation helps harmonize your diaphragm and turns on your “relaxation response.”
Sense the natural pause after exhalation; let yourself rest there for a moment.
Let your inhalation arise by itself, when it’s ready.
Remember, you are a breathing being, alive right now and here. Let yourself feel the mystery and the miracle of your breath and your life as often as you can.
How do you feel right now?
One of the simplest, safest, and most powerful breathing practices you can undertake on your own behalf is to consciously follow your breathing in the many circumstances of your life.
As you inhale, simply be aware that you are inhaling. As you exhale, simply be aware that you are exhaling. Try this practice for 10 minutes or so at a time at least three times a day. It will help free you from your automatic thoughts and emotional reactions and thus enable you to wake up in your daily life more often, to live with more receptivity and clarity in the present moment.
You may find this practice especially useful at moments when you are anxious or angry. With roots in Buddhism and the other great spiritual traditions, this is a wonderful practice for both beginners and advanced practitioners.
Natural breathing involves the harmonious interplay of the lungs, diaphragm, belly, chest, back, and other parts of the human body. In natural breathing, the depth and speed of the breath is appropriate to the actual demands of the moment, as long as those demands are not being conditioned by unnecessary tensions, contractions, or restrictions in the body.
During inhalation, the diaphragm moves downward massaging, either directly or indirectly, all the organs, and the energetic wave of breath moves upward through entire body, opening the belly, chest, back, and lungs.
During exhalation, the diaphragm moves upward massaging the heart, and the wave of breath moves downward closing the lungs, chest, back, and belly.
In human beings, natural breathing occurs mainly through the nose. This not only ensures the natural filtering, warming, and moisturizing of the air, but it also helps ensure that we don't release carbon dioxide too quickly.
The word “deep” in the expression “deep breathing” does not (or at least should not) refer to the volume of air in any given time period but rather to the depth that the diaphragm is able to move downward and upward on inhalation and exhalation.
The farther the diaphragm can move downward on inhalation and upward on exhalation, the deeper the breath. Except for those with severe pulmonary problems, a person who breathes more deeply most often breathes more slowly as well.
Deep breathing depends on the ability of the diaphragm, belly, lower ribs, and spine all to participate in the breathing process. If there is too much stress or tension in and around these areas, deep breathing will not be possible.
“Shallow breathing” means, or at least should mean, that the diaphragm moves down and up very little during breathing. In fact, many people are shallow breathers, not because their lives dictate shallow breathing, but rather because of weakness and tension in their breathing muscles, or a lack of good coordination.
Instead of using their diaphragms effectively, they try to use the secondary breathing muscles of their chest. Many people who try to do deep breathing without being able to or understanding how, end up simply tensing their secondary breathing muscles and lifting their shoulders and upper chest to try to take in more air. In such cases, their diaphragms move very little, and they lose the many benefits of diaphragmatic breathing, which include an internal massage of all the inner organs, aiding venous blood flow and lymphatic flow, and much more.
Many of us, without knowing it, habitually "hyperventilate"—that is, we take quick, shallow breaths from the top of our chest. These quick, shallow breaths sharply reduce the level of carbon dioxide in our blood. This reduced level of carbon dioxide causes the arteries, including the carotid artery going to the brain, to constrict, thus reducing the flow of blood throughout the body. When this occurs, no matter how much oxygen we may breathe into our lungs, our brain and body will experience a shortage of oxygen.
The lack of sufficient oxygen switches on the sympathetic nervous system—our "fight or flight" reflex—which makes us tense, anxious, and irritable. It also reduces our ability to think clearly, and tends to put us at the mercy of obsessive thoughts and images. Some researchers believe that hyperventilation can actually magnify our psychological problems and conflicts, and that chronic hyperventilation is intimately bound up with our anxieties, apprehensions, and fears.
To breathe naturally and authentically, our belly needs to be supple. It needs to be able to expand on inhalation and retract on exhalation. This bellows-like movement of the belly supports the downward and upward movements of the diaphragm.
When the belly expands on inhalation, the diaphragm can move farther downward into the abdomen, allowing the lungs to expand more fully.
When the belly retracts on exhalation, the diaphragm can move further upward, helping the lungs to expel gases more fully.
The increased downward and upward movements of the diaphragm, along with the outward and inward movements of the belly, not only help to slow down our breath rate and to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide more efficiently, but they also help to massage all our internal organs, including the heart.
This "internal massage" has a healthful impact on digestion, elimination, blood flow, the immune system, and the nervous system. People who are shallow breathers either by habit or by design lose these many benefits of deep breathing.
Learning how to breathe more naturally and efficiently, the way our bodies were designed to breathe, can have a powerful influence on our metabolism and overall sense of well-being.
Healthy, natural breathing makes us feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally, and this has a beneficial influence on the quantity and quality of our exercise, the way we look at and feel about ourselves, the kinds and quantities of food we eat, the amount of energy we have.
Among other benefits, healthy breathing helps us achieve the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our cells, which has a beneficial influence on our metabolism.
Our breath is an incredible gift, a fundamental force that has subtle interrelationships with all the different sides of ourselves--body, mind, emotions, and spirit."
Natural Breathing For Health, Well-Being, Longevity, and Self-Transformation
"The process of breathing is a living metaphor for understanding how to expand our sense of ourselves and be present not just to the miraculous energies of life that are both in and around us but also to the deep silence and spaciousness out of which these energies arise.
By checking in on your breathing, by noticing all the inner and outer movements of your breath as they take place, you are actually getting in touch with a deeper, more-conscious dimension of your own being.
Allowing your breath to take you deeper inside yourself, however, takes practice.
So check in on your breathing right now.
Allow all the sensations of your breath, all the internal and external movements related to how you are breathing now, to enter your awareness.
See if you can discover a quiet, non-judgmental place in yourself.
Just be aware, without any attempt to manipulate your breathing, of what your breath feels like and how this awareness influences your sensation of yourself.
Breath is life and movement. Let your breath engage and fill every part of your body, especially your belly, back, spine, and chest.
Inhale and exhale through your nose.
To transform your breathing, start with your exhalation, with “letting go.”
Be sure your belly stays relaxed. Let it expand as you inhale and retract as you exhale. Your belly is the foundation of your breath.
A long, slow exhalation helps harmonize your diaphragm and turns on your “relaxation response.”
Sense the natural pause after exhalation; let yourself rest there for a moment.
Let your inhalation arise by itself, when it’s ready.
Remember, you are a breathing being, alive right now and here. Let yourself feel the mystery and the miracle of your breath and your life as often as you can.
How do you feel right now?
One of the simplest, safest, and most powerful breathing practices you can undertake on your own behalf is to consciously follow your breathing in the many circumstances of your life.
As you inhale, simply be aware that you are inhaling. As you exhale, simply be aware that you are exhaling. Try this practice for 10 minutes or so at a time at least three times a day. It will help free you from your automatic thoughts and emotional reactions and thus enable you to wake up in your daily life more often, to live with more receptivity and clarity in the present moment.
You may find this practice especially useful at moments when you are anxious or angry. With roots in Buddhism and the other great spiritual traditions, this is a wonderful practice for both beginners and advanced practitioners.
Natural breathing involves the harmonious interplay of the lungs, diaphragm, belly, chest, back, and other parts of the human body. In natural breathing, the depth and speed of the breath is appropriate to the actual demands of the moment, as long as those demands are not being conditioned by unnecessary tensions, contractions, or restrictions in the body.
During inhalation, the diaphragm moves downward massaging, either directly or indirectly, all the organs, and the energetic wave of breath moves upward through entire body, opening the belly, chest, back, and lungs.
During exhalation, the diaphragm moves upward massaging the heart, and the wave of breath moves downward closing the lungs, chest, back, and belly.
In human beings, natural breathing occurs mainly through the nose. This not only ensures the natural filtering, warming, and moisturizing of the air, but it also helps ensure that we don't release carbon dioxide too quickly.
The word “deep” in the expression “deep breathing” does not (or at least should not) refer to the volume of air in any given time period but rather to the depth that the diaphragm is able to move downward and upward on inhalation and exhalation.
The farther the diaphragm can move downward on inhalation and upward on exhalation, the deeper the breath. Except for those with severe pulmonary problems, a person who breathes more deeply most often breathes more slowly as well.
Deep breathing depends on the ability of the diaphragm, belly, lower ribs, and spine all to participate in the breathing process. If there is too much stress or tension in and around these areas, deep breathing will not be possible.
“Shallow breathing” means, or at least should mean, that the diaphragm moves down and up very little during breathing. In fact, many people are shallow breathers, not because their lives dictate shallow breathing, but rather because of weakness and tension in their breathing muscles, or a lack of good coordination.
Instead of using their diaphragms effectively, they try to use the secondary breathing muscles of their chest. Many people who try to do deep breathing without being able to or understanding how, end up simply tensing their secondary breathing muscles and lifting their shoulders and upper chest to try to take in more air. In such cases, their diaphragms move very little, and they lose the many benefits of diaphragmatic breathing, which include an internal massage of all the inner organs, aiding venous blood flow and lymphatic flow, and much more.
Many of us, without knowing it, habitually "hyperventilate"—that is, we take quick, shallow breaths from the top of our chest. These quick, shallow breaths sharply reduce the level of carbon dioxide in our blood. This reduced level of carbon dioxide causes the arteries, including the carotid artery going to the brain, to constrict, thus reducing the flow of blood throughout the body. When this occurs, no matter how much oxygen we may breathe into our lungs, our brain and body will experience a shortage of oxygen.
The lack of sufficient oxygen switches on the sympathetic nervous system—our "fight or flight" reflex—which makes us tense, anxious, and irritable. It also reduces our ability to think clearly, and tends to put us at the mercy of obsessive thoughts and images. Some researchers believe that hyperventilation can actually magnify our psychological problems and conflicts, and that chronic hyperventilation is intimately bound up with our anxieties, apprehensions, and fears.
To breathe naturally and authentically, our belly needs to be supple. It needs to be able to expand on inhalation and retract on exhalation. This bellows-like movement of the belly supports the downward and upward movements of the diaphragm.
When the belly expands on inhalation, the diaphragm can move farther downward into the abdomen, allowing the lungs to expand more fully.
When the belly retracts on exhalation, the diaphragm can move further upward, helping the lungs to expel gases more fully.
The increased downward and upward movements of the diaphragm, along with the outward and inward movements of the belly, not only help to slow down our breath rate and to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide more efficiently, but they also help to massage all our internal organs, including the heart.
This "internal massage" has a healthful impact on digestion, elimination, blood flow, the immune system, and the nervous system. People who are shallow breathers either by habit or by design lose these many benefits of deep breathing.
Learning how to breathe more naturally and efficiently, the way our bodies were designed to breathe, can have a powerful influence on our metabolism and overall sense of well-being.
Healthy, natural breathing makes us feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally, and this has a beneficial influence on the quantity and quality of our exercise, the way we look at and feel about ourselves, the kinds and quantities of food we eat, the amount of energy we have.
Among other benefits, healthy breathing helps us achieve the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our cells, which has a beneficial influence on our metabolism.
Our breath is an incredible gift, a fundamental force that has subtle interrelationships with all the different sides of ourselves--body, mind, emotions, and spirit."
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Breathing with Intent
Here is a simple technique to begin experiencing your own internal power. As you breathe allow yourself to begin to experience a deep state of relaxation and healing.
1. Inhale slowly and deeply to a count of 4.
Inhale, filling your lower belly on the count of one (1),
then your diaphragm for the count of two (2),
next, fill your lungs on the count of three (3),
and finally your collar bone lifts with the last part of your inhale on the count of four (4).
2. Hold the breath for 4 counts.
3. Exhale slowly and gently, through your mouth, reversing the order of the inhale.
Release your collar bone and shoulders first with the beginning of the exhale (1),
then lungs (2),
diaphragm (3),
and belly (4).
Make a gentle “ha-a-a-a” sound, releasing all your muscles in a big sigh.
4. Hold the exhaled breath for 4 counts, as you experience how the energy in your body seemingly slows down while you exhale.
5. Repeat 1-4 at least three times.
6. Now, bring your attention to the area of your heart, pretend your breathing is flowing in and out through your heart in a relaxed way….now, breathing just a little deeper than usual…
Begin breathing in love and appreciation, …step into the feelings as they arise …. really feel how you would feel…. breathing them in and filling your whole body with every breath you take …allowing you to feel better in every way….
7. Inhale slowly, and send your awareness high above your head… as if you have sprouted wings and now can fly far out into the universe … until you discover a great bright light … symbolizing your own Renewable Source of Creation…
Now … imagine you follow a ray of light back and allow yourself to be filled with this beautiful light through the top of your head … and let the light fill your whole body completely … filling every cell of your body with warm, healing light …right to the center of your own DNA.
8. Exhale slowly, through the mouth with a “ha-a-a-a” sound releasing all your muscles in a big sigh and hold again for the count of four.
9. Now, as you inhale slowly, send your awareness deep down into the Earth below you, as if you have grown roots, down to the center of the Earth. Allow the power and resources you find there to travel up your roots. Allow this energy to enter through the bottom of your feet, easily moving up through your legs; up through your tailbone, filling your belly, moving through your heart, up through your throat, filling your whole head.
Take a moment to imagine every cell of your body completely filled with this energy, opening and receiving.
10. Again, exhaling through the mouth with a “ha-a-a-a” and hold again for the count of four.
11. Repeat steps 7 – 10 as many times as you like.
Center in your heart, breath in love and appreciation, send your awareness up to Source, back down through the top of your head, through your body, then down into the center of the Earth, back up through the bottom of your feet, filling your whole body completely, back to centering in your heart and then send your appreciation out into your entire life.
You will learn that very quickly, this simple exercise can help you relax, help you focus, and slow you down.
1. Inhale slowly and deeply to a count of 4.
Inhale, filling your lower belly on the count of one (1),
then your diaphragm for the count of two (2),
next, fill your lungs on the count of three (3),
and finally your collar bone lifts with the last part of your inhale on the count of four (4).
2. Hold the breath for 4 counts.
3. Exhale slowly and gently, through your mouth, reversing the order of the inhale.
Release your collar bone and shoulders first with the beginning of the exhale (1),
then lungs (2),
diaphragm (3),
and belly (4).
Make a gentle “ha-a-a-a” sound, releasing all your muscles in a big sigh.
4. Hold the exhaled breath for 4 counts, as you experience how the energy in your body seemingly slows down while you exhale.
5. Repeat 1-4 at least three times.
6. Now, bring your attention to the area of your heart, pretend your breathing is flowing in and out through your heart in a relaxed way….now, breathing just a little deeper than usual…
Begin breathing in love and appreciation, …step into the feelings as they arise …. really feel how you would feel…. breathing them in and filling your whole body with every breath you take …allowing you to feel better in every way….
7. Inhale slowly, and send your awareness high above your head… as if you have sprouted wings and now can fly far out into the universe … until you discover a great bright light … symbolizing your own Renewable Source of Creation…
Now … imagine you follow a ray of light back and allow yourself to be filled with this beautiful light through the top of your head … and let the light fill your whole body completely … filling every cell of your body with warm, healing light …right to the center of your own DNA.
8. Exhale slowly, through the mouth with a “ha-a-a-a” sound releasing all your muscles in a big sigh and hold again for the count of four.
9. Now, as you inhale slowly, send your awareness deep down into the Earth below you, as if you have grown roots, down to the center of the Earth. Allow the power and resources you find there to travel up your roots. Allow this energy to enter through the bottom of your feet, easily moving up through your legs; up through your tailbone, filling your belly, moving through your heart, up through your throat, filling your whole head.
Take a moment to imagine every cell of your body completely filled with this energy, opening and receiving.
10. Again, exhaling through the mouth with a “ha-a-a-a” and hold again for the count of four.
11. Repeat steps 7 – 10 as many times as you like.
Center in your heart, breath in love and appreciation, send your awareness up to Source, back down through the top of your head, through your body, then down into the center of the Earth, back up through the bottom of your feet, filling your whole body completely, back to centering in your heart and then send your appreciation out into your entire life.
You will learn that very quickly, this simple exercise can help you relax, help you focus, and slow you down.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE
Dr. Amen has found hypnosis to be very helpful. You will be glad to know that hypnosis, guided imagery and deep breathing are specifically recommended to resolve and heal problems with the brain!
Certain parts of the brain tend to do certain things. For example, the prefrontal cortex is involved with executive functions; the temporal lobes are involved with memory, auditory processing, word finding and emotional reactions; the parietal lobes are involved with direction sense; etc.
The deep limbic system controls our state of mind, our automatic thoughts, and our degree of connection that we feel with others. Noticing the good is much more effective in shaping behavior than noticing the bad. Dr. Amen recommends taking responsibility for nurturing relationships in your life with love, appreciation, affection, trust and connection.
One of the parts of the brain that controls the integration of feelings, thoughts and movement is called the Basal Ganglia. You might be interested to learn that the Basal Ganglia’s function includes the ability to integrate feelings and movement, control feelings of being overwhelmed emotionally, conflict avoidance, suppress unwanted muscle movement, and set the body’s idle speed or anxiety level. Isn’t that interesting
One of the main ways to sooth the brain is DEEP BREATHING and DAILY RELAXATION THROUGH GUIDED IMAGERY/SELF-HYPNOSIS. The way you breath has a huge impact and trains your brain how to reset to a relaxed, healthy level. Guided Imagery trains relaxation into your body and lowers tension in your muscles. These exercises may seem too simple, but they can have a powerful effect on how your body reacts.
Amen Clinic Northwest 616 120th Ave NE, Suite C100, Bellevue WA, 98005
Within the U.S. 1-888-564-2700 | Outside the U.S. 1-949-266-3700
Please see Dr. Amen's website by clicking HERE!
Dr. Amen has found hypnosis to be very helpful. You will be glad to know that hypnosis, guided imagery and deep breathing are specifically recommended to resolve and heal problems with the brain!
Certain parts of the brain tend to do certain things. For example, the prefrontal cortex is involved with executive functions; the temporal lobes are involved with memory, auditory processing, word finding and emotional reactions; the parietal lobes are involved with direction sense; etc.
The deep limbic system controls our state of mind, our automatic thoughts, and our degree of connection that we feel with others. Noticing the good is much more effective in shaping behavior than noticing the bad. Dr. Amen recommends taking responsibility for nurturing relationships in your life with love, appreciation, affection, trust and connection.
One of the parts of the brain that controls the integration of feelings, thoughts and movement is called the Basal Ganglia. You might be interested to learn that the Basal Ganglia’s function includes the ability to integrate feelings and movement, control feelings of being overwhelmed emotionally, conflict avoidance, suppress unwanted muscle movement, and set the body’s idle speed or anxiety level. Isn’t that interesting
One of the main ways to sooth the brain is DEEP BREATHING and DAILY RELAXATION THROUGH GUIDED IMAGERY/SELF-HYPNOSIS. The way you breath has a huge impact and trains your brain how to reset to a relaxed, healthy level. Guided Imagery trains relaxation into your body and lowers tension in your muscles. These exercises may seem too simple, but they can have a powerful effect on how your body reacts.
Amen Clinic Northwest 616 120th Ave NE, Suite C100, Bellevue WA, 98005
Within the U.S. 1-888-564-2700 | Outside the U.S. 1-949-266-3700
Please see Dr. Amen's website by clicking HERE!
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