Santa Fe New Mexican - Healthy Living
MINDFUL BREATHING
Breathing may be essential to life, but scientists are just beginning to tap into its transformauve power. Mindful breathing is an umbrella for two related practices, both used in yoga: conscious breathing and controlled breathing. With the former, the practitioner simply places attention on the breath, observing and feeling; in the later, the person controls inhalations and exhalations. According to Michelle DuVal, director of The Mindful Center in Albuquerque and a leading provider of mindfulness training in the Southwest, conscious and controlled breathing communicates to the body that the stress response — designed to help a human being survive — isn't needed. "Often the stress response is triggered inappropriately, from work deadlines or your kids fighting, [which] has nothing to do with survival. But the body doesn't always know the difference," she said. Stress heightens conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia: How can a person be calm, be happy or sleep restfully when his or her body feels threatened? Often, in today's society, the pressure and chaos keep the stress response activated. Breathing switches it off. "When we redirect attention to the breath, it's out of context with the threat of demise. You can move your body from a stress response into a relaxation response within five to to breaths," she said. Mindful breathing offers many of the benefits of meditation but can be more approachable for those who balk at the "hours in the lotus position" idea that meditation can inspire. There are myriad ways to make the practice a habit, from following the reminders on fitness watches to downloading apps, such as Headspace, that provide guidance. DuVal recommends starting by doing five conscious breaths five times a day. She also advises coupling the practice with things already happening — waking up, arriving at work, arriving home. She suggests sitting upright to avoid dozing off. "I encourage people not to negate the gift of such a simple practice," she said. You don't have to meditate 20 minutes or more every day. "You just have to do this practice with a lot of consistency and regularity to keep your body in the relaxation response. I find that the practice gradually expands to more breaths, more frequently, throughout the day."