Breathing exercises have the ability to activate the vagus nerve, a winding cranial nerve that links the brain to organs, letting the heart, lungs and digestive when to beat, breathe, digest, etc. The vagus nerve not only carries messages from the brain but to the brain, connecting and communicating many seemingly disparate autonomic functions that influence stress response and emotion.As respiration is the only autonomic function we can control, breathing gives us the ability to influence the rate at which these impulses are transmitted, remaining calm yet alert. When we elongate the exhalation, in particular, we stimulate the vagus nerve and direct ourselves into a parasympathetic, relax and renew state. Another Breathwrk practice that has influence on anxiety and panic in particular is breathing less, practices that not only slow the breathing rate but actually decrease the amount of air we breathe. Breathing less has the ability to increase our tolerance to Carbon Dioxide which, much like breathing into a paper bag, can short circuit the experience of panic. Increased levels of CO2 can calm your amygdala and synchronise heartbeat and breathing rhythm.
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Under stress and anxiety, breathing exercises have the ability to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and suppress the sympathetic nervous system, sending messages to and fro along the vagus nerve to direct ourselves into a relaxation response. As respiration is the only voluntary function of the autonomic nervous system, we can use the breath to decrease our heart rate, slow respiration, reduce levels of cortisol, and more. https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/13/4/298
Utilizing different breathing patterns can act as a remote control on your state of being through different physiological pathways, some we are aware of and some we have yet to discover.Studies show that by incorporating high frequency breathing, people can increase their ability to sustain attention and direct attention, suggesting an increased state of wakefulness. This state is believed to be achieved through activating the sympathetic nervous system and reducing vagal activity. Link
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Difficulty sleeping has been correlated with autonomic nervous system dysfunction, specifically in relation to vagal activity and the vagal nerve. When we engage specific breathing practices we can suppress vagal activity and in turn, improve our sleep. Many of our practices for sleep utilize an elongated exhale to increase vagal tone or even humming on the exhale. These breathing exercises activate our parasympathetic nervous system, the system involved with our rest and repair operations. This parasympathetic activation and sympathetic suppression induces what has been called the relaxation response and helps us fall asleep and stay asleep
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25234581/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30761030/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32366866/
The ability to focus your mind is a skill that many face challenges with. There are multiple breathing practices that have shown evidence to increase an individual’s ability to focus, sustain focus and shift focus.In one study linked below, researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research discovered that different breathing patterns effect widespread regions in the brain, far beyond just the brain stem as previously believed. The insula and the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in moment to moment awareness were able to be activated which correlates breathing practices to heightened attention. Another study found that individuals increased their ability to sustain and direct attention by using high-frequency breathing. This state is believed to be achieved by activating the sympathetic nervous system and reducing vagal activity.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28954895/
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Slow and balanced breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system was conventionally thought to function automatically but we have found that through conscious breathing exercises we can influence these systems voluntarily. When we slow our breathing down we suppress the sympathetic nervous system and kick start our relaxation response. This can decrease the heart rate, dilates our blood vessels and also reduces our blood pressure. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42552-9
