The Science Behind Slow Breathing and How it Alters Brain Circuits to Crush Anxiety

 Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by persistent and excessive fear, worry, and apprehension. You might experience symptoms such as restlessness, rapid heartbeat, difficulty concentrating, and overwhelming dread. If left untreated, anxiety disorders significantly impair your daily functioning and quality of life.

These disorders are marked by intense emotional and physical responses. You may find yourself having panic attacks, avoiding social situations, or grappling with obsessive thoughts. Common signs include constant nervousness, irritability, and fatigue, which interfere with your work, relationships, and overall well-being. Should anxiety remain unaddressed, it often leads to severe consequences like depression, substance abuse, or chronic health issues.

Recent research from Frontiers in Public Health1 reveals that from 1992 to 2021, the global number of anxiety disorder cases surged by 73.44%, with age-standardized incidence rates increasing by 21.17%. Among the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa), India saw the most dramatic rise, experiencing a 113.3% increase, while China exhibited the smallest growth at 2.79%....<<<Read More>>>...

Have You Tried Box Breathing?

[Mercola]: Box breathing is a form of breath control that triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to help manage stress and improve relaxation so you can take control of your health.

This technique, also called square breathing or four-square breathing, is used by Navy SEALS to help reduce stress in high-pressure situations.

It involves nose breathing to slow over-breathing and raise CO2 levels to balance oxygenation.

Use a simple technique to measure your CO2 tolerance, a predictor of physical health. Nose breathing raises production of nitric oxide, which offers antiviral benefits. Consider the four-minute Nitric Oxide Dump to promote blood flow and normalize blood pressure.

To begin practicing box breathing, get in a quiet place where you can concentrate and maintain good posture. Ideally, you'll want to measure how many cycles or minutes you can do the technique and work up to five minutes.

Do each step below with focus and intention on your actions. Most people who use this technique recommend inhaling and exhaling to a count of four or five. Either is acceptable as long as each phase takes same the length of time.

• Step 1 — Begin by exhaling the air out of your lungs to a slow count of four. Some recommend exhaling through your mouth;

• Step 2 — Hold your breath for a slow count of four.

• Step 3 — Inhale slowly to a slow count of four through your nose, keeping your back straight and breathing through your abdomen so your shoulders do not rise.

• Step 4 — Hold your breath for a slow count of four and return to step 1....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

5 Types of Breathwork to Aid Spiritual Growth

[Wake Up World]: Your breath is one of the most sacred, yet forgotten, parts of your daily existence.

As one of the few functions in the human body that is both conscious and unconscious, the breath is a conduit of life. It is the physical manifestation of your chi (qi), prana, or lifeforce energy. And you do it 23,000 times a day.

Most of all, your breath is always there for you, 24/7, until the day you die. It is there not only to help animate your body, but also to help it heal, purge old energy and toxins, and invite in whatever is new and invigorating.

Your breath is your most ancient friend and it is always there to call upon when you need help.

Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that comforting?

Whenever you need a burst of fresh energy, breathe. Whenever you need to process heavy emotions, breathe. Whenever you need to calm down, breathe.

You have an anchor, a doorway into immediate meditation with you wherever you go and whatever you do – and that’s what’s so bewitching about breathwork. Breathwork simply takes this natural, primordial bodily function and makes a conscious practice out of it. In this article, I’m going to explore a few different varieties of breathwork with you – and they all beautifully complement the inner work practices of self-love, inner child work, and shadow work

What is Breathwork?
Breathwork, while ancient, is a term that first originated in the 1970’s and refers to the practice of consciously directing the breath. The goal of breathwork is to positively alter the body, mind, heart, or spirit, and produce therapeutic inner transformation. There are numerous forms of breathwork in existence today...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>....

The Most Important Thing in Your Life

The Atlantean Conspiracy: What is the #1 most important key factor to achieving and maintaining optimum health, energy, longevity, vitality, and wellness? Is it genetics, diet, exercise, hydration, sleep, mindset, environment? Certainly all of these factors are very important, but in fact they are all secondary to something most doctors and lay-people alike completely overlook.

Think about this: what is the most important thing in your life? It’s so important that you do it all day every day and all night every night. You are even doing it unconsciously right now while reading this. It’s something so crucial to your health, longevity and wellness that ceasing for even a few minutes results in certain death!

The one and only undeniable answer is Breathing. To breathe is to live and without breath there can be no life. All life, plant and animal, from birth to death, completely depends upon the air for health, well-being and continued existence. From microscopic mitochondria to macroscopic lungs, every living cell breathes and depends on the air’s life-giving properties for sustenance...read more>>>..

Reduce anxiety FAST by knowing how to breathe properly

Natural News: Did you know that a breathing technique can help reduce anxiety? According to Dr. Danny Penman’s article on PsychologyToday.com, mindfulness “has been clinically proven to beat depression and enhance happiness, clarity of thought, and even decision-making and creativity.” Penman added that breathing, which is the cornerstone of mindfulness, can help ease your anxiety and stress.

Breathing techniques are effective since your breath reflects and amplifies your emotions. When you breathe incorrectly, you can worsen your anxiety, depression, and stress....read more>>>...

Rhythm of Breathing Key to Controlling Fear and Emotional Behaviour

Waking Times: We live in a fearful world with exposure to a deluge of stressors everyday. As much as fear is a result of reacting to the actual or perceived events in our lives, it is also a biological function of the human body, and when equipped with an understanding of how the body manages the emotional system, we can easily outsmart it, tricking ourselves into emotional balance.

The brain creates electrical impulses which link physical functions to emotional reactions, and the electrical activity of the brain is deeply affected by our breathing patterns. The outcome of this balance is determined by whether or not we are inhaling or exhaling, as well as if we are  breathing through the nose or the mouth, as each variable creates a different electrical response within the brain...read more>>>...