Just Breathe - For Stress Management

Breathe In, Breathe Out,

Breathe In, Breathe Out,

Breathe In….

-           Brooke Hopkins (our yoga instructor), Sundari Power Yoga; Naperville, IL

Breath is vital to life.  Knowing how to control and manage breath is vital to yoga (and other physical exertions) and, as we are increasingly learning, an important discipline to manage stress and strengthen emotional wellness.  In yoga, being reminded and guided to breathe in a slow, controlled, deep rhythm while holding static, or moving through, often physically challenging poses (“Link breath to movement; one breath, one motion”) focuses the mind, stabilizes the body, and brings a calm that lasts long after you’ve left the studio. 

Of course, it took me many months of practice before this…

Tied to a wheel, fingers got to feel,
Bleeding through a tar-decay smile;
I spin on a whim, I slide to the right
I felt you like electric light.

-          From “Machine Head” by Bush (it also starts with “Breathe In, breathe out…)

…stopped popping into my brain Every. Single. Time. Brooke started the “Breathe in, breathe out…” mantra.  Hardly relaxing!  Gavin Rossdale and the boys of Bush aren’t really known for their soothing music.  Now I just enjoy the music in my head!

In our two most recent articles (“Just Slow Down” and “Avoiding Bad Outcomes”) we looked at the need for police officers to slow their actions, reactions, and thought processes – whenever safely possible – in order to avoid making ill-judged, dangerous, or even tragic mistakes.  One of the “takeaways” we offered was to learn how to, and focus on, controlling breath.  We could only touch on it, however, and thought it necessary to expand on this important but little taught discipline.

In yoga and meditative practices, the Hindu term pranayama (the joining of the Sanskrit terms prana (life force) and yama (to control the prana) refers to exercises and practices derived to intentionally control or alter breathing to achieve specific outcomes.  Specific to yoga, Ujjayi (“victorious” or “conquering” breath) can be done while engaged in other activities or during exertion and produces physically and emotionally beneficial parasympathetic responses within the body; these include lowered heart rate and blood pressure, increased digestion and improved metabolism, stimulation of the vagus nerve, emotional calming, increased focus and concentration, a strengthened immune sstem, and other benefits.  As it is a deep diaphragmatic breathing, it creates excellent oxygen exchange of incoming oxygen to outgoing carbon dioxide, and maximizes that oxygen’s volume and use.  Ujjayi helps with physical balance and to focus and drive through discomfort, both important in the physical challenges of a yoga practice and applicable outside the studio. 

The benefits are well documented in science, too.  The “Relaxation Response” was discovered and studied by Dr Herbert Benson, a cardiologist with the Harvard Medical School more than 40 years ago.  From “Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response,” an article published by Harvard Health Publications: The Family Health Guide,

“(t)he term "fight or flight" is also known as the stress response. It's what the body does as it prepares to confront or avoid danger. When appropriately invoked, the stress response helps us rise to many challenges. But trouble starts when this response is constantly provoked by less momentous, day-to-day events, such as money woes, traffic jams, job worries, or relationship problems.

Health problems are one result. A prime example is high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. The stress response also suppresses the immune system, increasing susceptibility to colds and other illnesses. Moreover, the buildup of stress can contribute to anxiety and depression. We can't avoid all sources of stress in our lives, nor would we want to. But we can develop healthier ways of responding to them…

…the relaxation response is a state of profound rest that can be elicited in many ways, including meditation, yoga, and progressive muscle relaxation… Breath focus is a common feature of several techniques that evoke the relaxation response. The first step is learning to breathe deeply.”

The “fight or flight” impulse comes from the sympathetic nervous system activated by stress that, while serving a critical survival function, also causes stress hormones to flood the body and inflict serious damage.  Those who experience stress regularly, or for whom it has become a default state, are steeping in a stew of potentially damaging chemicals that were only meant to come into play in rare, extraordinary occasions.  Understandably, cops are often in this category.

Applying Breath Control to Law Enforcement

The most obvious and immediate application of breath control for cops is in a moment of on-duty stress, when adrenaline is flowing, heartrates are racing, the “fight or flight” response is engaged, and breathing naturally becomes rapid and shallow to rapidly increase oxygen supply by increased respiration.  This type of breathing is hardwired into “fight or flight” but is not the optimal response.  The breaths are shallow and inefficient, shaky, and beyond conscious control.  Despite being fully engaged in a largely subconscious survival response we are not in any sort of mindful state.  This is the time when instinctual drives override prudent decision processes, impulses are raw, mistakes happen, and people get hurt. 

Switching to deep breathing – Ujjayi breathing, if you know it, or simply focusing on filling the lungs, holding the breath for a full beat or two, and deliberately and fully expelling it before repeating – will slow both heart rate and respiration, focus the senses, calm the mind, and wrest control back from the primitive brain.  Most importantly, deliberate mindfulness keeps the focus “in the moment” and on the threat while optimizing mind/body performance. 

On several occasions I’ve helped people – crime and accident victims, people experiencing panic attacks or a mental health crisis, even suspects – whose breathing is out-of-control or are in a panic, by first getting them to focus on me, then explaining and leading breathing techniques (“watch me… do what I do, okay?  Now, we’re going to take a deep, full breath together… and just keep on doing that, okay?”), and then calmly talking them through the process until they feel in control.  It works.  And if it works for them it is a skill we can teach and practice on ourselves.    

Less obvious, but just as beneficial, are learning and practicing breathing exercises that can be integrated into daily living to alleviate less acute, but still damaging, stress.  One of the easiest ways to learn controlled breathing techniques is to enroll in a yoga class.  The benefits for mind and body are great, and the physical and mental skills (including breath control) quickly translates to improved performance in other sports and activities.  Otherwise, there are dozens of techniques that can be found online, of course, but we’ll offer a few simple starters to try right here, including three that repeatedly show up (the following is from “Stress Management:  Breathing Exercises for Relaxation”, WebMD, Nov 14, 2014):

Belly breathing

1. Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
2. Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
3. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
4. Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
5. Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath.
6. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.

4-7-8 breathing

This exercise also uses belly breathing to help you relax. You can do this exercise either sitting or lying down.

1. To start, put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest as in the belly breathing exercise.
2. Take a deep, slow breath from your belly, and silently count to 4 as you breathe in.
3. Hold your breath, and silently count from 1 to 7.
4. Breathe out completely as you silently count from 1 to 8. Try to get all the air out of your lungs by the time you count to 8.
5. Repeat 3 to 7 times or until you feel calm.
6. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.

Roll breathing

Roll Breathing helps you to develop full use of your lungs and to focus on the rhythm of your breathing. You can do it in any position. But while you are learning, it is best to lie on your back with your knees bent.

1. Put your left hand on your belly and your right hand on your chest. Notice how your hands move as you breathe in and out.
2. Practice filling your lower lungs by breathing so that your "belly" (left) hand goes up when you inhale and your "chest" (right) hand remains still. Always breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Do this 8 to 10 times.
3. When you have filled and emptied your lower lungs 8 to 10 times, add the second step to your breathing: inhale first into your lower lungs as before, and then continue inhaling into your upper chest. Breathe slowly and regularly. As you do so, your right hand will rise and your left hand will fall a little as your belly falls.
4. As you exhale slowly through your mouth, make a quiet, whooshing sound as first your left hand and then your right hand fall. As you exhale, feel the tension leaving your body as you become more and more relaxed.
5. Practice breathing in and out in this way for 3 to 5 minutes. Notice that the movement of your belly and chest rises and falls like the motion of rolling waves.
6. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.

Practice roll breathing daily for several weeks until you can do it almost anywhere. You can use it as an instant relaxation tool anytime you need one.

Morning breathing

Try this exercise when you first get up in the morning to relieve muscle stiffness and clear clogged breathing passages. Then use it throughout the day to relieve back tension.

1. From a standing position, bend forward from the waist with your knees slightly bent, letting your arms dangle close to the floor.
2. As you inhale slowly and deeply, return to a standing position by rolling up slowing, lifting your head last.
3. Hold your breath for just a few seconds in this standing position.
4. Exhale slowly as you return to the original position, bending forward from the waist.
5. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.

In a stress-filled world that regularly takes a toll on our bodies and minds, it turns out some of the best medicine is within us, costs nothing but a few minutes of time and concentration, and yields massive benefits.  Why not give it try.

Breathe In, Breathe Out,

Breathe In, Breathe Out,

Breathe In...