Breathing to Balance Your State of Mind: How Rhythms and Responses Interact

Jan 17

Have you ever noticed feeling more nervous, upset or frustrated when your breath gets shallow, quick and choppy? Or how a few slow, deep sighs can shift you into a tranquil and clear-headed mindset? Understanding the interplay between breathing rhythms and emotions provides clues to finding more stability from within.

Breath Stimulates Brain Waves

At its essence, breathing regulates levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. This fuels electrical impulses between nerve cells generating distinct brain wave frequencies that create your continuous state of consciousness [1]. In a feedback loop, your dominant state also manifests through breath patterns. For example, rapidly cycling beta/gamma waves of focus or anxiety emerge through quicker, uneven inhales and exhales. Slower alpha/theta waves characterizing relaxation synchronize with fuller, rhythmic breathing [2]. Since we tend to "breathe how we feel", breathwork providing mindful regulation gives us an intentional tool to reshape emotional experiences.

Fight or Flight vs Rest and Digest

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems represent the archetypal poles of the human experience spectrum. Think of the sympathetic side as our inner warrior - wired for detecting and responding to threats by revving up heart rate, muscles, lungs and alertness. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline prepare your best defense or escape strategies [3].

In contrast, the parasympathetic network lowers defenses and conserves resources through its "rest and digest" pathway. Here the vagus nerve signals safety, relaxing muscles, slowing circulation, and normalizing inflammatory immune responses that spiral out of control when stress reactions never ease [4]. Through modulation of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels reaching the lungs, heart and digestive organs, breath patterns constantly tune the balance between fight-flight and gentle nourishment [1,5]. This shapes our sensations, emotions and state of being moment to moment.

Breathing to Shift Energy and Perspective

With conscious control, breathwork helps avoid rigid polarization at either pole of the human experience - overly amped warrior or sluggish zombie mode. Skillful self-regulation empowers a full range of emotional expression while maintaining rational thought and centered calm [4]. Quick, full inhales paired with brief exhales raise oxygen, body temperature and mental alertness to energize [5]. This breathing pattern before a workout, presentation, or creative session enlivens mood and clears brain fog.

In contrast, slowing inhale/exhale rhythm while gently extending exhale duration clears excess carbon dioxide that can lead to anxiety when it accumulates. As oxygen saturation gently fluctuates in a narrower range, heart rate stabilizes and inflammation subsides [4, 5]. This equanimity buffers reactivity, worry, or physical pain signals [1, 6]. So beyond just existing unconsciously in your default patterns imprinted through genetics, upbringing, culture or trauma, conscious breathwork taps into your capacity to shift emotional states at will.

Syncing Breath and Biofeedback for Self-Regulation

Once you grasp the basics of bidirectional breathing-emotional interaction, biofeedback tools taking the guesswork out of breathwork create powerful transformation.

Technology like breath sensors, heart rate variability (HRV) monitors, and even brainwave-reading headbands precisely track nervous system patterns amplified or calmed by your inhale/exhale rhythms [5]. An outer signal mirrors subtle inner shifts otherwise hard to pinpoint. With practice analyzing this data and then modifying breathing accordingly, skills develop to intentionally steady emotional storms, lift low moods, energize the mind, and deepen relaxation through different pacing and depth combinations [6].

Over time, maintaining balanced, rhythmic respiration through life's inevitable ups and downs trains the nervous system away from extreme fight-or-flight or freeze reactions into overall resilience - flexible vigor with ease. Just by consciously inhaling and exhaling with skillful rhythm, you tap into your innate capacity to harmonize emotional states and empower clarity no matter what life brings!

References:

[1] Zelano, C. et al. (2016). Nasal Respiration Entrains Human Limbic Oscillations and Modulates Cognitive Function. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(49) [2] Tang, Yi-Yuan. et al. (2009). Central and autonomic nervous system interaction is altered by short-term meditation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(22) [3] Sztajzel, J. (2004). Heart rate variability: a noninvasive electrocardiographic method to measure the autonomic nervous system. Swiss Medical Weekly, 134(35-36) [4] Wheat, A.L. & Larkin, K.T. (2010). Biofeedback of Heart Rate Variability and Related Physiology: A Critical Review. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 35(3) [5] Elliott, E. & Edmonson, D. (2005). The New Science of Breath: Coherent Breathing for Autonomic Nervous System Balance, Health, and Well-Being. Translation from molecule to meaning. CreateSpace Books

[6] Goessl, V.C. et al. (2017). The Effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Stress and Anxiety: a Meta-Analysis. Psychological Medicine, 47(15)