BREATHWALKING
Last week, I shared a brief raw video of myself taking a walk to shake off the feeling of being overwhelmed & anxious. I’ve gotten so many questions about how long the walks should be and if there’s there anything special that I do, I wanted to provide some follow up information to answer these questions.
I first learned of ‘breathwalking’ from Tony Robbins’ Ultimate Edge program about 10 years ago. The effectiveness of the technique was further reinforced when I began practicing yoga, specifically when studying Kundalini. Using this breathing technique during times of stress or anxiety is helpful because shallow breathing is not only a symptom of anxiety, it is also a cause.
When feeling anxious or stressed, there are several symptoms that cause a considerable amount of fear. These symptoms can be brought on by shallow breathing and may trigger more severe anxiety & panic attacks:
- Feeling Faint
- Feeling Lightheaded
- Weakness
- Chest Pains
- Shortness Of Breath
- Rapid Heartbeat
These symptoms can be scary enough to send one running to the emergency room! (NOTE: these symptoms can be associated with other illnesses. If you are experiencing anything like this, it is always a good idea to see your doctor right away.) What most people don’t realize, however, is that all of these symptoms are also caused by one common anxiety problem: shallow breathing.
What is anxiety anyway? It’s the activation of the fight or flight system, designed to keep us safe. Faced with a feeling of impending danger, our heartbeat speeds up & breathing becomes faster to get more oxygen in preparation to fight or flee. This automatic response to fear, whether real or imagined, has the body release adrenaline & breathing speeds up. When suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, shallow breathing can last for minutes, hours or even days, resulting in hyperventilation.
Shallow breathing means breathing out carbon dioxide too quickly, before the body has a chance to make more. Oxygen fills the lungs when you inhale, but carbon dioxide takes time to develop. When breaths are shallow or rapid, each expulsion of breath takes out more Co2 than the body has created. This is why, if shallow breathing goes on too long, it can result in hyperventilation. Hyperventilation makes your body feel like you’re not getting enough oxygen, causing many of the same symptoms as a panic, or anxiety attack.
There are many remedies for panic and anxiety, some of them involving prescription medications. There are also several simple, natural techniques to relieve these feelings of fear and panic. One way to address fear based thoughts that can lead to anxiety is to change your state. Breathwalking is one of these techniques. Breathwalking is a simple technique of 4 breaths in through your nose, followed by 4 breaths out through your mouth. If you choose, you may also repeat a positive mantra as you do the breathing.
I found this video from Dr. Jim Nicolai on youtube. I like how he explains ‘breathwalking’, so I wanted to share it with you. He is also author of a good book on wellness called: Integrative Wellness Rules: A Simple Guide to Healthy Living The book can be found on Amazon just by clicking on the title.
MY TECHNIQUE: I find that walking, at least 15 minutes 5 times a week using the breathwalking technique really helps to stay in a positive state. However, 45 minutes to an hour 5 times a week is preferred to receive the most benefit. I, personally, practice the breathing technique of 4 breaths in and 4 breaths until I reach peak state, this is usually about for the first 15 minutes of my walk, or the entire 15 minutes if I only have time for a short walk.
If you find yourself in an undesirable mood of any kind, I encourage you to give this technique a try! If you are unable to get outside, this will work on a treadmill, or even just standing in your home. Let me know how you like it!
xo Bobbi
