Our bodies express the stress that our words cannot

Since writing last month I read the book “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van der Kolk, M.D., shedding more light on the idea that our bodies express stress through unexplained aches and pains.

He writes that chronic stress can be rooted in traumatic childhood experiences stored in our limbic (emotional) brain that we may not connect with our current lives. Traumatic experiences are not necessarily violent. The death of a loved one or lack of a loving home is traumatic to a child, and if never confronted, follows us into adulthood.

Van der Kolk explains that recovery requires building self-awareness through mindfulness, breathwork, yoga, massage, and other activities that connect our rational minds with our limbic brain.

In the next few blogs I’m going to share some of the strategies that help me cope with stress.

One of the first things that happens when we respond to a stressful situation is a change in the way we breathe.

In yoga class and guided meditations we are often asked to pay attention to our breath or to breathe in a certain way. I found that I could not do that without hyperventilating and feeling faint. I decided that I was one of those people who couldn’t do intentional breathing, and didn’t think any more about it.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized it is not normal to panic during breath exercises and that my body was trying to tell me something that I had to explore further. Thus began an investigation into childhood experiences that have shaped my breathing habits.

Much of what follows is taken from “The Breathing Book” by Donna Farhi. She writes that most people are not aware that they breathe poorly, but bad breathing can be the root cause of headaches, heart disease, and digestive issues including the inability to lose weight.

What is “improper breathing”?

Although there is no one correct way to breath, when we breathe freely, the breath arises effortlessly through the action of the diaphragm, radiating outward in a regular rhythm. Free breathing is a result of deep relaxation, not of effort.

One way I knew I was breathing improperly was the accumulated tension in my neck, shoulders, and between my shoulder blades. It is a common symptom of breath holding. No amount of massage or yoga could remedy my chronic tension for it was repeated the moment I continued unconsciously breathing poorly.

Common breath holding patterns include:

• Reverse breathing when the abdomen moves in on the inhalation and out on the exhalation. Reverse breathers suffer from poor digestion, a feeling of a lump in the throat, lack of coordination, and chronic tension in the upper body.

• Chest breathing in which the abdomen is pulled in and the breath comes from high in the chest, impeding proper blood flow to the heart. Digestive organs are also impaired by chest breathing, creating a whole host of digestive issues. Chest breathing is the most common breathing disorder of our time with most chest breathers experiencing chronic anxiety.

• Collapsed breathing takes place when the chest is drawn downward, the shoulders hunch protectively, and the belly is projected forward and down. In collapsed breathing there is often intense disassociation from the body; feeling so uncomfortable in our own body that we exist outside its boundaries.

• Hyperventilation is a breathing rate of over 14 breaths per minute for men and 15 breaths per minute for women. Hyperventilation can cause headaches, dizziness, lack of concentration, muscle tension, breathlessness, cold hands and feet, irritability, rushed interactions, and overreaction to minor problems.

Reclaim Your Breath

Restricting the free flow of breath is our unconscious attempt to control the way life is moving through us., but if we can allow our natural or “essential” breath to come through, it can help us to let go of stress and live life more freely. Breath retraining is the answer, but unfortunately, some medical professionals prescribe tranquilizers, heartburn medications, or sleeping remedies for conditions that would respond favorably to breath retraining.

Benefits of Breath Retraining:

• Relaxation research shows that retraining one’s breath can make us less susceptible to viruses by increasing the production of cells for immune system activation.

• Relaxed breathing also affects the synthesis of protein, fat, and carbohydrates resulting in lowered cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

• Using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles in free breathing reduces headaches and decreases tension in the neck and shoulder muscles.

• Relaxing the abdominal muscles in full diaphragmatic breathing allows greater circulation to the organs of digestion, contributing to their healthy functioning and improving weight loss efforts.

• When the diaphragm is allowed to descend completely as in relaxed breathing, blood flows freely back to the heart, increasing our lung capacity and carrying oxygen to all parts of our body feeding our organs and tissues.

• Relaxed breathing helps us to sleep as oxygen circulates freely to our extremities, decreasing tension and anxiety.

To start dismantling breath holding patterns, notice your breathing as you go throughout the day. If you find that you are restricting your breath, note the circumstance in which it happens. Let this question stay in the back of your mind so that when you notice the pattern again you can inquire more deeply into the root cause of your habit.

Although it is counter intuitive, exhaling more fully will naturally result in a spontaneous deepening of our inhalations. Long, full exhalations tell the body that all is well and by consciously lengthening the exhalation, we can trick ourselves into relaxing even in the most stressful situations.

For some of us, highly controlled breathing practices can backfire because they repress the underlying psychological fears and issues that are driving poor breathing habits in the first place. Trying to control our breathing and “do it right” might cause further anxiety. Seek additional guidance with professional books, articles, or therapy.

In addition to the two books mentioned above, I recommend “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga” by Deepak Chopra, M.D. And David Simon, M.D. and “The Breathing Exercise Bible” by Anthony Anholt.