Time to combine my silver smithing and yoga teaching! If you didn't know I've been teaching yoga now for two years to total yoga beginners and to those with me experience.
Whilst for some yoga is a philosophy and a way of life, for many it is seen as an accessible and affordable (if not free!) way to ease the body and calm the mind. This is often through a combination of movement/poses (Asana), breathing (Pranayama), and meditation (Dhyana).
We’re often told that meditation and yoga are the keys to a blissful life with zero stress. All you need to do is google ‘yoga’ and you see endless photos of happy-looking, slim white women in little to no clothes contorting themselves into all sorts of pretzel-shaped poses. Unfortunately, yoga classes can be mega expensive, and who’s really dedicating a portion of their time to sit on the floor and meditate daily (if you said, ‘Well, I am’, then good for you!). I know, I know, ‘meditation can be anything, walking, gardening, dancing…’ but that doesn’t quite feel right, those things are nice and can be meditative but it’s not the same okay!
If you have ever been to an in-person yoga class you’re probably familiar with the breathing practice, known in Sanskrit as Pranayama, often at the beginning of the class. These can sometimes be rushed, clunky, and maybe even a bit awkward but when given time and proper instruction they can actually be life changing.
Do you want some science? Let’s go! I know you’ve heard of ‘fight or flight mode’ when something stressful happens and our bodies react by either saying get me outta here, or I’m gonna fight my way out of here. This happens as a result of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), one of the divisions of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), taking us back in time and preparing us to fight or, more likely, run away from a sabre tooth. When this happens our hearts beat fast, we feel anxious, we tense up, we may go pale, and we may have a sudden urge to nip to the bathroom! Now the other division of the ANS is our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), known as ‘rest and digest’, this helps us to maintain a steady heart rate, controls pupil dilation, aids normal organ function, causes salivation to aid digestion, and calms down our SNS after a stressful event. These actions are all of course very important and, believe it or not, quite easy to manipulate!
So, the equation is something like this: feeling calm = ‘rest and digest’ (PNS activated) = normal regular breathing. The fun bit? We can flip that equation! Breathing is a bodily function that we can control relating to the PNS, unlike for example pupil dilation. Now yes it will take some practice but doesn’t anything? The idea is if you’re feeling anxious or stressed, take a seat if you can, and focus on just controlling and slowing your breathing. You may be familiar with Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing technique, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, exhaling for 8 seconds, and repeating this for as long as required. [1] He has previously stated this method comes from a Pranayama practice, from the Yogic tradition.
Weil’s technique is a great place to start and there are many various methods to try out. Whilst the basis is in returning your breath to a slow and calm state to trick the body into thinking it’s experiencing ‘rest and digest’, there are also a few extra tricks we can employ. Number one, inhaling and exhaling through your nose rather than your mouth as best you can. Nose breathing provides more oxygen and humidifies the breath. Next is making your breath audible, this doesn’t have to be extreme, just loud enough that you can hear your breath. One way to do this is simply to deepen the breath so you can hear the air enter and leave your nose, another is to practice a specific Pranayama called Ujjayi Pranayama. This involves adding a constriction or narrowing to the base of your throat (imagine you’re huffing on a mirror to steam it up but do the same action breathing in and out your nose). Think of the sound of light snoring or Darth Vader breathing! Once you have that audible breath locked down, start to lengthen and steady the breath, aiming for inhale and exhale lengths of around 3-6 seconds depending on what’s comfortable for you, maybe lengthen this if/when you can.
A moving meditation can also help keep the swirling thoughts away, for example resting your hands in your lap and touching your thumbs to each finer, index, middle, ring, pinky, and then back again. This small motion can centre the mind enough to stop it wondering. Another great addition to a meditation is a Mindfulness Ring, also known as a Spinner Ring! These keep the hands and mind busy so you can focus!
A few things to note (regarding Ujjayi Pranayama but also any breath practice):
If this breath practice becomes uncomfortable or it makes you anxious to control your breath just leave it and return to your regular natural breath.
If you are suffering from a blocked nose/congestion maybe save this practice for another time.
This practice is not recommended for those who are pregnant unless it is already part of their practice and they are happy to continue.
If you feel lightheaded or dizzy, or just don’t fancy controlling your breath today then don’t!
A quick online search of ‘how to calm my fight or flight response’ returns over 16 million results. According to ‘The Mental Health Foundation’ the percentage of people experiencing high levels of anxiety has significantly risen from 2012-2015 from 21.8% of women and 18.3% of men to 37.1% of women and 29.9% of men in 2022-2023. [2] Furthermore, the average wait time in England for treatment through Talking Therapy via the NHS, although improving, is 21.7 days for the first treatment and another 62.5 days for the second treatment. [3] It is no surprise people are attempting to find at home solutions and lifestyle changes to aid the reduction in their feelings of anxiety. A better understanding of this nervous panic response and the various elements of the nervous system alone can really help in the treatment of anxiety and stress. Of course, if you have ongoing symptoms or a diagnosed disorder seeking professional help is key.
So next time you beat yourself up for not keeping up with a regular meditation practice or going to a weekly yoga class, stop, take a seat, and spend 5 minutes on some focused and controlled breathing. Make that breath practice a tool in your toolbox that you can reach for whenever you need to hit the reset button. During longer periods of stress, a regular breath practice can be very beneficial, and even one-off breath control practices when you’re experiencing a moment of anxiety can be just the thing you need to bring you back from panic mode. Besides, it’s free, takes 5 minutes, and might (hopefully!) just help you feel a tonne better!
If you think you need a little more in person action or even a one on one experience, try finding a yoga class local to you, or reach out to a personal trainer, these can often be in person or online so suitable for anyone! A great personal trainer helps you find the balance of getting fit and FEELING good!
So, if you needed a little encouraging push... nudge nudge... :)
[2] The Mental Health Foundation, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/anxiety-statistics#:~:text=More%20women%20report%20experiencing%20high,reported%20high%20levels%20of%20anxiety&text=Compared%20to%20data%20from%202012,reporting%20high%20levels%20of%20anxiety
[3] House of Commons, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06988/
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