Are You Nervous? You Should Be
Although the breath holds memory of the past and potential of the future, it lives in the now.
So, it’s the meeting point of all creation.
One of the reasons why I love working with the breath so much is that anyone, anywhere in the world, can access it. Its effect is immediate and it always has consistent outcomes.
How the nervous system responds to the breath is perhaps the best example of this.
To experience this in your own body, exhale fully and then hold your breath. Continue to read my words but slower. Observe what happens.
You might already be feeling a little tightness in your chest. There could even be some heat beginning to rise. With a little more time a sense of urgency or fear could be creeping in. By now, you might be ready to fill your lungs with air. That’s your nervous system warning you that your life is in danger and that it’s time for you to breathe.
If this was to continue throughout the day in more subtle ways your nervous system would be in a constant state of stress and things like inflammation and fatigue can start to develop. So, although this exercise is simple, it highlights three important facts that are worth acknowledging:
The nervous system is intimately aware of the breath’s every movement and it wastes no time in alerting the heart and brain whenever it stops or changes
We have direct access to the nervous system through the breath.
How we breathe matters
A simple rule of thumb is that if the breath is calm and relaxed, the nervous system will be calm and relaxed. If it’s tense and uneasy, the nervous system will be tense and uneasy.
Below are two exercises that support the nervous system in daily life.
Create soft eyes
Our eyes, like the breath, often reflect our inner state of being. Sharp, dilated, focused eyes, for example, reveal a heightened sense of alertness. Soft, open eyes, on the other hand, reflect a sense of ease and relaxation. So, by creating “soft eyes” the nervous system relaxes as a result.
This practice is great for relieving stress, reducing anxiety, and relaxing the body. It’s a quick and effective way to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system and stimulate the vagus nerve.
It’s one of the ways wild animals can be hunted one minute and graze upon the grass as if nothing has happened the next.
Sit comfortably and allow your body to relax
Look straight ahead and land your gaze on an object in the distance
Begin to connect to your peripheral vision while continuing to look straight ahead
Now, expand your awareness to the spaces up, down, and to the side without moving your eyes
Allow your focus to be on ‘all things’ as your eyes begin to ‘soften’
Stay connected to your breath
Remain here for as long as it feels good to do so
The Physiological Sigh
The body does this naturally at different times during the day and night to release tension. However, you can do it whenever you need to and enjoy the health benefits it brings.
Take a nice long deep inhale through your nose
Take another shorter, sharper inhale to fill your lungs up completely
Then take a nice slow exhale (making a sighing sound if it feels good to do so), releasing any tension from the body
Repeat twice more
“Just one, two, or three physiological sighs bring your stress levels right down.” - Andrew Huberman
That’s for reading. See you next week!