You do not have to be an expert meditator to enjoy calm and relaxation under the most stressful situations. We cannot meditate when we are in a stressful situation, but there is a trick we can use to put us in a calm and relaxed state. For you to do the trick the following will be discussed:
How the body gets out of homeostasis under stressful situations.
Common situations where 16 second breaths can return us to homeostasis.
How to practice this type of breathing.
How the body gets out of homeostasis under stressful situations.
The body responds to a perceived threat by preparing for fight or flight. The threat can be real or imagined. 90 percent of our problems are imagined. Only 10 percent are real. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between the problems that are real or imagined. The autonomic nervous system will be alerted either way. The heart and breath speeds up. The heart pumps blood to the legs and arms to prepare the body for fight or flight. The blood gets stickier in case it needs to heal a cut. The adrenal glands get activated and you get an energy high in case you need energy to defend yourself. Intelligence decreases. It is not a time to think, but act fast.
Common situations where 16 second breaths can return us to homeostasis.
You might be working and a problem arises you do not know how to deal with. You could be having a negative thought from the past that really gets to you. You can be talking to someone strongly opinionated and defensive. You can be around someone and they are destructively criticizing you. 16 second breaths help you deal with the flight or fight response to these things. You are no longer activating the hormones of stress and can return to homeostasis. When you are in homeostasis your nervous system is calmer, relaxed, and the body can focus on growth and repair. The body has more energy to protect itself from internal threat like bacteria, viruses and toxins, and you can respond to external threats more intuitively. You also have more energy to create.
How to practice 16 second breaths.
16 second breaths are straight forward. To do this practice, breath in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breath out for fours seconds, and hold for four seconds. Repeat this process as needed. Anytime you are feeling uneasy from being in a stressful situation you can do this type of breathing. You can do this anywhere at any time.
We now know how the body reacts to threatening situations real or imagined, situations where 16 second breaths help, and how to practice it. We can bring calm and relaxation into our work or the rest of our day. The body prepares us for fight or flight in response to a stressful situation. It can be from a thought or an external threat. The threat causes the body to be out of balance. The autonomic nervous systems, and adrenal glands are alerted to fight or flee, and intelligence decreases. It is not a time to fight off internal threats like viruses, bacteria, and disease. It is also not a time to think or be creative. Threats can happen with our thoughts, at work, or when we are around negative people. 16 second breaths return us to a state of rest. It is straight forward. To do this practice, breath in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breath out for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. Repeat the process as needed. Next time you are faced with or anticipating being faced with a stressful situation you have nothing to fear. You can practice this type of breathing.