Breathing Techniques for Resilience
Why Breathing Works
Oxygen deprivation occurs when you are stressed and your breathing becomes shallow. By drawing out your inhale, you are making yourself slowly and consciously take in more oxygen. Then by holding your breath, you allow as much of that oxygen to saturate into your bloodstream as possible. Finally, by exhaling completely, expel as much carbon dioxide from your lungs as possible. GABA is short for gamma amino butyric acid and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter essential for the proper function of your brain and the central nervous system. GABA reduces excessive brain activity and promotes a state of calm. Slow and deep breathing signals the brain to release GABA which releases cortisol and adrenaline, allowing your mind to slow down, rest, digest and repair. |
Breathing 3 Ways
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4-6-8 Breathing
Instructions: Time Required: 1 minute
Belly (or Pranic) Breathing
Instructions: Time Required: From 3 minutes up to 15 minutes
Balanced Breathing
Instructions: Time Required: 1-3 minutes
Instructions: Time Required: 1 minute
- Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth.
- Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 6.
- Release your breath from your mouth with a whooshing sound for a count of 8.
- Without a break, breathe in again for a count of 4, repeating the entire technique 3-4 times in a row, then resume normal breathing and activity.
Belly (or Pranic) Breathing
Instructions: Time Required: From 3 minutes up to 15 minutes
- Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth.
- Breathe through your nose into your belly as deeply as you can. You should see your belly rising.
- Swallow to hold the breath in your belly.
- Hold as long as you are comfortable (even just a beat at first). This allows the old prana (or energy) to settle in your center so that you can release it and breath in new fresh energy.
- Let your breath out as much as possible, then a little more to release as much carbon dioxide (and stale prana) as possible.
- Take a deep breath to reset and repeat.
Balanced Breathing
Instructions: Time Required: 1-3 minutes
- Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth.
- Breathe in through your nose for a count of 5.
- Hold for a count of 5.
- Breath out through your nose for a count of 5.
- Repeat 10 times as needed to center and return to presence.
From Vows to Values
Buddhists take Vows to guide them in "right living." While the rest of us may not be ready for a Bodhisattva Vow, we can all benefit from understanding what Values guide us.
Buddhists take Vows to guide them in "right living." While the rest of us may not be ready for a Bodhisattva Vow, we can all benefit from understanding what Values guide us.
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Instructions
Time Required: 30 minutes to define and then 90 seconds anytime you are triggered. Step One: Define what you value
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Step Two: When you are triggered
- Notice that you are out of presence (stressed, angry, frustrated, hurt, etc).
- Breath deeply.
- Call to mind the Value that is most important to you in this moment.
- What does that Value suggest as a learning in this moment? How might living in that Value serve you now? What actions would that Value direct you to take?
- Breathe deeply, and go on with your day.
More on Defining your Values
If it's too overwhelming to come up with you own Values out of the clear blue sky, check out Lion's Roar for lists of Values based on Buddhist principles, and edit them to make them your own (see mine below).
If it's too overwhelming to come up with you own Values out of the clear blue sky, check out Lion's Roar for lists of Values based on Buddhist principles, and edit them to make them your own (see mine below).
- I value seeing the essential humanness in others, remembering that, but for causes and conditions, they are just like me and I am just like them.
- I value being of service, doing what I can, when I can, in the amount I can, to make positive contributions to the world.
- I value enough-ness and ways of living that cultivate it.
- I value opportunities to learn and grow, even though they may be scary, difficult, or painful.
- I value kindness.
Guided Presence Meditation
Thanks, to Nilima Bhat (Author of Shakti Leadership) for her wisdom and guidance.
Click here to enjoy a 12-minute guided meditation to ground and center yourself before, during, or after a hectic day. |
Loving Kindness Meditation
Or "Metta" Meditation is the Buddhist practice of sending out compassion to all beings.
Or "Metta" Meditation is the Buddhist practice of sending out compassion to all beings.
Instructions
Time Required: 3 minutes x 2 Take the following steps 2 times per day First, I’m going to give you a few phrases to use, but ultimately, you will want to devise your own. May I be healthy and strong. May I be happy. May I be peaceful and at ease. Loving-kindness meditation is a simple repetition of these phrases, but directing them at different people. Adjust as you like, or follow the 6 steps below. Enjoy! |
- Get ready, breathe deeply, again…
- Repeat the phrases to yourself: May I be healthy and strong…
- Direct the phrases to someone you feel grateful for: May you be healthy and strong…
- Direct the phrases to someone you don’t like or are angry with. May you be healthy and strong…
- Direct the phrases to everyone everywhere: May all beings everywhere be healthy and strong…
- Breathe deeply, smile…
More on Loving Kindness Meditation
This one may feel counter-intuitive… but there is plenty of science behind it! Studies have shown this particular form of meditation to:
If you want to dig deeper into the data, check out Emma Seppala at Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She also has a TEDx talk that will certainly inspire.
You might also want to subscribe to the Greater Good Magazine put out by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
Sources
2012 Christine Carter, Ph.D. Sociologist and Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Christine Carter, Ph.D.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
Emma Seppala, Ph.D.
Science Director Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.
http://www.emmaseppala.com/18-science-based-reasons-try-loving-kindness-meditation-today/
This one may feel counter-intuitive… but there is plenty of science behind it! Studies have shown this particular form of meditation to:
- Increase positive emotions & decreases negative emotions
- Increase gray matter volume
- Slows aging
- Increase compassion and empathy
- Make you more helpful
- Decrease your bias towards others
- Curb self-criticism
If you want to dig deeper into the data, check out Emma Seppala at Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She also has a TEDx talk that will certainly inspire.
You might also want to subscribe to the Greater Good Magazine put out by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
Sources
2012 Christine Carter, Ph.D. Sociologist and Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Christine Carter, Ph.D.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
Emma Seppala, Ph.D.
Science Director Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.
http://www.emmaseppala.com/18-science-based-reasons-try-loving-kindness-meditation-today/
Examen
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Instructions Time Required: 1-3 minutes x 3 Take the following steps three times a day: 1. Be grateful for something 2. Recall a key objective in your day 3. Review the past few hours to draw some lessons learned that you can apply to achieving that objective in the next few hours |
More on The Examen
This practice is adapted from one originally attributed to Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century, interpreted by Chris Lowney in his book Heroic Living, and brought to my attention by client and friend, Dr. Dennis Weissenburger.
The genius of Ignatius's examen is that it provides opportunity multiple times a day to step out of the busy-ness of our lives and accomplish three important things. First, it gets us into a place of gratitude which not only puts stressors into perspective but also releases dopamine, decreasing anxiety and increasing well-being. Second, it gets us focused on our goals, which not only helps to ensure that they get accomplished, but also helps to avoid the negativity of many of our distractions. Third, it compels us to reflect on our experience, learn from it, and apply it right away in the service of our objectives. This creates a learning loop that ensures our development even as we move through a "typical" day.
As Lowney says, "all due respect to Harvard's collective wisdom, Ignatius emphasizes the vital practices that business schools miss."
This practice is adapted from one originally attributed to Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century, interpreted by Chris Lowney in his book Heroic Living, and brought to my attention by client and friend, Dr. Dennis Weissenburger.
The genius of Ignatius's examen is that it provides opportunity multiple times a day to step out of the busy-ness of our lives and accomplish three important things. First, it gets us into a place of gratitude which not only puts stressors into perspective but also releases dopamine, decreasing anxiety and increasing well-being. Second, it gets us focused on our goals, which not only helps to ensure that they get accomplished, but also helps to avoid the negativity of many of our distractions. Third, it compels us to reflect on our experience, learn from it, and apply it right away in the service of our objectives. This creates a learning loop that ensures our development even as we move through a "typical" day.
As Lowney says, "all due respect to Harvard's collective wisdom, Ignatius emphasizes the vital practices that business schools miss."