The power of breath: Simple practices for nervous system regulation and calm for your body and mind

This is Part 3 in the Calm in a Chaotic World series

You've probably had someone tell you to take a few deep breaths when you were upset or stressed out. And maybe you’ve seen a social media post or YouTube video about deep breathing for relaxation. I love those. But I’ve wondered if this was just another fad with outsized guarantees or if there is more to it?

Then recently I found myself neck-deep in psychology studies on the nervous system and the way it is connected to our breathing. (There is a lot of research.) I started thinking about how everything God created us to do naturally – such as walk, swim, garden, sleep –  all have mind and spirit connections as well. God made it so the most basic functions of our bodies also help us to be well mentally and spiritually. Amazing. We keep “discovering” great things to do for our health, when really we are just uncovering God’s intricate plans for wholeness. 

The same is true for our breath. It’s more than an automatic thing we do to get oxygen to our cells. It’s powerful and life-giving in a variety of ways. And we can harness that to return our bodies and souls to a calm and regulated place when we are facing stressors, feeling highly emotional, really tired and worn out, or just wanting to feel more deeply rested.

Ancient peoples were in touch with the power of breath.

In Hawaii, the word Aloha is a greeting used for coming and going and also loosely translates to “love”. It comes from “alo” meaning “in the presence,” and “ha” meaning “the breath of life.” Aloha is a symbol of intense greeting and respect, and the “ha” is considered to be one’s life force. Ancient Hawaiians' traditional greetings would entail two people touching noses in order to exchange breath - their “ha.” The Hawaiians understood breath to not only be life-sustaining oxygen but to be life-affirming connection.

The Bible tells us how important our breath is. 
There are too many scriptures to mention, but breath is all over the Bible with a lot of different meanings. It marks our birth (Genesis 2:7) and our death (Ps. 146:4). With God’s breath He created all things (2 Sam 22:16). The spirit of God in us is called “the breath of the Almighty” (Job 32:8). The Bible says all scripture is “breathed out” (2 Tim. 3:16). 

And our bodies tell us how important our breath is. 
What happens when our nervous system is overloaded or we get anxious? We get short of breath or our breathing speeds up. Our breath and nervous system are connected. Breathing directly influences our body’s stress response, and slow deep breaths promote relaxation. 

How do we apply this to our chaotic lives?

Last week we talked about slowing down and noticing, tuning into our selves for the purpose of regaining the calm we want for ourselves, our families, and kingdom work. I hope I have convinced you that breath is an important piece to this puzzle. Because life won't slow down and troubles will continue to come, but we get to choose how we move through it. Our breath can help.

How often do we go all day, or multiple days without deep breaths into the recesses of our lungs? Those kinds of breaths tell our minds and bodies to relax. They help pull us out of the fight or flight state we talked about last week. How often are we noticing our breath, appreciating the life that flows inside of us? 

Attention to our breath and harnessing the power of breath is about the simplest, most accessible, and yet most powerful tool we have at our disposal outside of prayer. And we need our breath for the prayer too. In fact, my recommendation for this week is to allow your breath to become a pathway to peace and joy. See below. 

Reflect & respond

 
🎯 Let's do a simple 5-day challenge. 
Every hour of your day that you are able, I want you to have an alarm or reminder set so you can pause and reset for 2 minutes with a deep breathing practice from one of the resources below (or your own favorite practice). I’m not going to add any complication or prayers or deep thoughts. Just the breath. See what it does for you, especially if you're having a stressful day. Here’s the challenge: 5 days starting today, breathing practice 6-8 times per day (or more if you wish).
 

Some resources to get you started with breath practices.

• Breathing technique to reduce stress and anxiety | YouTube Video

• Diaphragmatic breathing: what it is and how to start | Read the post

• Breath prayers from Daisy Dronen | Read the post

• 2-minute audio/video pauses | Dawn app > Audio > Pauses

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