What's the point of this hyper-optimization? (Unless it cures a condition obviously.)
cures isn't the right word, but it lets you set conditions in your body once you've practiced for a bit. slow, deep breathing can help you remain calm and focused. inversely, quick, shallow breaths lead to a bit of hyperoxia and can help bring your emotions to a more intense state as well as basically "banking" oxygen for short bursts of physical activity. It's about being in control of your body and mind, and gaining that control through experimentation and observation. There are already a couple examples of the science behind breathwork in this thread but I feel compelled to point out that breath work is the foundation of meditation and practiced meditators have shown truly incredible control over their bodies and emotions.
The primary source of benefits from breathwork is believed to be controlling the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal hormonal axis in the body. These three glands are basically in charge of the body's stress hormones, and those stress hormones are how the body broadcasts to all of its constituent parts what state the body is in and leaves each part to respond appropriately. So in someone with a hyperactive HPA axis you're going to see the immune system overrespond because the body is getting ready to deal with wounds that could become infected, you're going to see the cardiovascular system overrespond to prepare for phsyical exertion, you're going to see the digestive system underrespond because now's not the time to break down that sandwich there's a goddamned bear chasing me, all sorts of ways your body optimizes for emergency mode when the HPA axis is active.
Thing is, what triggers emergency mode has changed a lot as we've developed as a species. Used to be the aforementioned bear. A bear is an emergency, but it's a 5 minute emergency. After 5 minutes it's over and either you survived it or you didn't. Now our lives are so complex and weird that people have emergencies that last decades. Trying to pay the rent with a minimum wage job is arguably an emergency that lasts your entire adult life and the HPA axis is responding to very real fears of having no food, nowhere to live, no social status and other things that matter to us on a biological level. If the HPA pathway remains too active for too long all of those downstream systems I mention earlier start malfunctioning because they've been running permanently in a mode that was only ever intended to be temporary. The ability to consciously take control of that by regulating your breath and focus doesn't just make you feel calmer, it allows those systems that have been redlining for a long time to take their foot off of the gas. It can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, which lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. Its linked to abatement of symptoms in things as disparate as lupus, irritable bowel syndrome, adhd, dementia and fibromyalgia. Not to mention that people report being happier, less stressed and more engaged with their lives and loved ones with 20 minutes/day of just sitting quietly and paying attention to how their breathing works without actually trying to alter it at all.
tldr - it's linked to relief in several conditions
most of my info (prolly all of it tbh) comes from Dr K's lectures at healthygamer.gg - full disclosure, i don't work for them, i don't get paid by them, they don't know i exist but i am a member who has worked through a couple of their courses. They also have a youtube channel if you want an opportunity to check out some of the info for free.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366645304_Effect_of...
To me, breathwork falls under that category of positive exercises that can give a boost in life. I would never overhype “the power of breathwork” to anyone. Just like going to the gym, yoga, dancing, and most other similar activities.
This link is better imo because it also shows the standard box alongside the 4-7-8
Lets me hold my breath for 4–5 minutes if I don't move too much.
Someone I went to school with almost died from this. Was in a coma for 48h and spent a month in hospital afterwards. And that was in a public swimming pool where he was discovered quite quickly.
It effectively removes the normally leftover carbon dioxide from blood, but it does not oxygenate blood significantly more than normal.
The end result: if you hold your breath after hyperventilation and start doing physical activities, you can get dangerously deoxygenated blood. Without the usual feeling of asphyxiation that is normally triggered by high CO2 content.
Deoxygenated blood + brain = fainting. Which can be lethal when swimming.
For an intro to the topic, James Nestor's Breath is excellent.
On a personal note, I realized through breathwork that I was taking deep breaths incorrectly for most of my life. Maybe it's my anatomy, but when I take a deep, fast breath, my nostrils constrict and limit the airflow. It was a real breakthrough for me when I learned to focus on my diaphram while flaring my nostrils. The breaths I can take are so much more satisfying.
Of course, different people are different. If it actually makes anxiety worse then don't do it, or seek advice. It's difficult to know why the GP has this reaction.
In other words: Lowering your CO2 sensitivity and learning to breathe slowly by doing breathwork is a skill worth acquiring. Your brain going into panic mode in a comparatively relaxed breathing mode could be an indication that your CO2 sensitivity is rather high.
It's completely fine imo and I don't think there's a need to get hung up on details like hitting a prescribed 4-4-4-4. 3-3-0-3 would be ok too.
Breathing through the nose, in for a count of three and out for five, then repeat.
As long as the outbreath is longer than the inbreath, you will get some effect.
Could also try relaxing first by massaging the Vagus nerve. An easy way to start with that is to massage in a circular motion the skin area in front of the Tragus (front skin flap) on each ear.
You can combine that with the measured breathing for added effect. They both stimulate the Parasympathetic nervous system.
https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b68ec804-ba42-4194-b405-d1f...
Don’t a lot about the author. I just came across the doc on Reddit and the practical parts of what’s described checked out.
Her approach adapted breathing patterns to listen to your body's internal signals for when to breath in and out.
would be happy to have some good references.
this isnt to say that breathing exercises are not beneficial, but this book left me scratching my head.
But overall if you're laying down doing wim hof breathing, I'd say no.
And of course individuals might have circumstances or conditions that do make it dangerous. They always tell you not to do it if you're pregnant, for example.
I think the timer should be a multiple of the time to complete one full cycle, ending on an exhale.
It stopped for me too. I hope someone answers this soon.
Is there something wrong on my end? The IN animates fully, which is a nice visual cue. The HOLD remains static which is nice. But the OUT does not completely animate and it throws me off.
Timing the initial in/exhales is tricky, because the circle contracts, not to its center, but to a nearly invisible (on my screen at least) smaller circle in the middle. No visible counters.
After a while, it just says "Hold". No indication that we're done. And I sit there, almost dying for 2 minutes before realizing, that it's done some kind of quiet-quitting routine on me.
Other than that I enjoyed it.
See e.g. Reinkenmeier describing breath work in
standing: https://youtu.be/dHsG3GU9_PY?si=qlaLrSfKLCeiCgl4
prone: https://youtu.be/5odRbYSbDIk?si=joBeFyyUrwBvQ7bk
Just general: https://youtu.be/JJ3zXuFsrfk?si=xdQ5NY0cHfK89CCg
The general points (deep from diaphragm, lean back, relax shoulders, etc) also carry over to other discipline like music (wind instruments at least).
That is the entire point
This web page also has some good resources and breathing meditations. https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/mindfulness-practice
Highly recommend
A few years ago I was determined to practice, and it was hard, and then it became easy, auto-relaxing, like a cheat.
I lost that practice and now it's hard again.
I think GP is right to question technique vs. attention - I think we don't know much about the answer.
But a point I recall in Nestors book is that there isn't really a lot of scientific study on breath - there is much more study on specific diseases, and e.g. teeth have a full profession of study and development that the everyday act of breathing doesn't have (even though these might be highly related!).
<Opinionated> Some of the best references about breath today are not scientific, but written in the oldest books that survived in different cultures - and anyways, how much does the specific mechanism matter?
Watch this space though - science is catching up! </>
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/box-breathing-meditation/id673...
Nothing fancy but it works. Been using the watch app during stressful meetings (nobody notices you're doing breathing exercises). Has all the standard box patterns plus some custom options.
TYMorningCoffee•9h ago
> 4-7-8 Breathing The 4-7-8 technique involves inhaling for 4 counts, holding for 7, and exhaling for 8. This pattern is repeated several times. Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, it helps reduce anxiety, manage stress, and promote better sleep by triggering your body's natural relaxation response and slowing your heart rate.