Calm Your Nerves Naturally with These Breath Practices

Much of what drives us to relapse in our addiction is rooted in our attempts to calm our nerves. Day to day life can bring on so much stress! How we respond/react to that stress truly defines how well we function in the world. One of the most helpful and healthy tools in our kit for dealing with stress on a daily basis is breath work (aka breathwork, breath practice, or pranayama). The simple act of turning inward for a mindful moment when we control our inhalation and exhalation works in an almost magical way to calm our nerves and clear our mind.

The 8 limbs of yoga

In yoga, we follow eight limbs of practice:

1. Yamas – ethical behavior in society
2. Niyamas – internal healthy behaviors and observances
3. Pranayama – breath practices
4. Asana – poses or postures
5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana – focused concentration
7. Dhyana – meditation
8. Samadhi – deep absorbtion

Each of the eight limbs has an important place in our healing and recovery from substance abuse, and for today we’ll focus on Pranayama.

What is breath practice?

Pranayama, also known as breath work or breath practices, at its basic level involves intentional inhalation, exhalation, and pauses with either breath held in or breath held out. On top of those aspects, there may be hand positions or muscle actions, but the core is about breathing in and breathing out. Translated literally, prana means life force and yama means control, so the word translates to “life force control” (note that the word yama is also the name of the first limb of yoga, in that case it means control of our behavior).

Breath practice – the science behind it

Breath practices, often referred to as pranayama in yoga, have a profound impact on calming our nerves and clearing our mind. The science behind this is rooted in the body’s physiological response to controlled breathing.

How Breath Practices Calm Our Nerves

When we engage in deep, slow breathing, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the “rest and digest” response. This system counters the “fight or flight” response initiated by the sympathetic nervous system. By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, deep breathing helps reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, and decrease the levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

Mechanisms at Work

1. Vagus Nerve Activation: Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which extends from the brain to the abdomen. This nerve plays a key role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.
2. Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Balance: Controlled breathing ensures a proper balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. This balance helps regulate the body’s pH levels and improves overall physiological function.
3. Brain Wave Activity: Slow, rhythmic breathing can influence brain wave activity. Studies have shown that it can increase alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with a relaxed, yet alert state of mind.

Clearing the Mind

Breath practices also help in clearing the mind by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain, which enhances cognitive function and mental clarity. Additionally, focusing on the breath during these practices can divert attention from distracting thoughts, promoting a meditative state.

Scientific Evidence

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience highlights the effects of slow breathing on autonomic function and the central nervous system. The study found that slow breathing can significantly reduce anxiety and improve emotional regulation by enhancing the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (Zaccaro et al., 2018).

Some simple breath work practices:

If at any poing when doing a breath practice, you feel that you are not getting enough air or are starting to feel anxious about your breath, just return to your body’s natural breathing rhythm with no intnetional control.

Try one or the other of these practices and see which suits you best. If you want to try both, be sure to leave at least a few minutes between the different practices. Over time you will accquire many different practices to use in your life.

Belly Breath

1. Sit comfortably or lie down
2. With slightly open eyes, softly gaze at a spot which won’t distract you or close your eyes
3. Feel the rhythm of your breath just as it is, is it deep? Shallow? Fast? Slow? No need to judge this just notice what is happening right now
4. As you begin an inhalation, allow your belly to swell with your breath without much force
5. As you exhale, let your belly soften and return to its relaxed position
6. continue breathing in this way for as few as 8 breaths or for several minutes
7. when you return to a natural breath take a moment to notice how you feel

Triangle Breath

1. Sit comfortably or lie down
2. With slightly open eyes, softly gaze at a spot which won’t distract you or close your eyes altogether
3. Feel the rhythm of your breath just as it is, is it deep? Shallow? Fast? Slow? No need to judge this just notice what is happening right now
4. When you are ready, begin an inhalation and gently count to four at a comfortable pace. Do not overdo your inhale, just breath in to a comfortable fullness
5. Hold your breath to a count of four at the same pace as your inhalation
6. Exhale to a count of four at the same pace
7. Feel free to adjust your count to any number that feels right, the idea is to have the inhale, the holding and the exhale be the same duration
8. Continue this for 5 breaths or for a few minutes
9. Release the intentional breathing and let your body breath as it wishes
10. Notice how you feel now

These are great practices to incorporate in your daily morning routine, before bed, and anytime you are feeling the effects of stress in your life.