Breathwork to Recalibrate the Nervous System
The primary function of our nervous system's threat detection system is to help us survive. However, old protective patterns that were necessary for younger versions of us may not be relevant now, and may even be barriers to living a fulfilling life. Research shows that for people with trauma history, their nervous systems tend to have stronger threat responses, and take longer to rebalance. Breathing consciously, aka breathwork, is an incredibly powerful tool for recalibrating the nervous system and opening up possibilities for new, supportive patterns to develop.
Read on for an overview of the nervous system's threat response, how this relates to respiration and breathwork, and details on the three key breath patterns I teach in my classes. This article is chock full of information, so take time to feel how the information lands in your body-- what resonates for you? What feels relevant?
Breath and the Nervous System's Threat Response
The Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system regulates many of the body's vital functions-- including breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, secretion of fluids (saliva, sweat, urine), and body temperature. In order to maintain balance, the nervous system is constantly responding to cues and potential threats from the environment. Your threat response system can be divided into three spaces:
Ventral vagal complex (VVC)-- relates to social engagement, call for help
Sympathetic nervous system-- where the fight/ flight response is
Parasympathetic nervous system-- where the rest and digest space is, and freeze/ fawn (aka submit or people pleasing) response
Your Threat Response
When we experience a threat, as interdependent social creatures the first response would be to call for help (VVC), and then if that is unavailable/ deemed to be unsafe, fight or flee (sympathetic). If fighting or fleeing is unavailable or unsafe, then the next response is to freeze or fawn (parasympathetic). Fawning is when your system determines that the safest response, to minimize harm/ save your life, is to appease or pacify the threat, or people-please. Fawning is especially common in situations where a child's caregiver is the source of threat, and certainly interacts with racial and gender dynamics, and other social power dynamics.
These responses exist on a continuum, and when a person repeatedly goes into a state and/or goes into it dramatically (e.g. through a traumatic experience) it can become a pattern in the body, a well-worn pathway. In addition, if this happens in the system of a young person, when their brain and body are still going through key development phases, the imprint can be very strong.
Breathing during a Threat Response
During respiration, on the inhale the sympathetic nervous system is activated and on the exhale the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing is part of how your body self-regulates. Along those lines, when either part of the system is overly activated, the breath is impacted. This is very oversimplified, but the basic logic holds--
If you're in a fight/ flight space, you might be inhaling more than you're exhaling. On top of this you might feel like you're not getting enough air, and keep trying to get more air (this is how the beginning of a panic attack feels to me). To rebalance when feeling excessive urgency and agitation, do a breath pattern with a long exhale, helping to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Sometimes you might feel like you're not getting enough air, but actually you're not emptying the air you have-- this is why I love the pursed lips breath in this scenario (details below). Add some humming and feel your voice-- this helps activate the vagus nerve and drop you into balance.
If you're in a freeze or fawn space, you may be taking shallow breaths or even holding your breath. Many people have patterns of breath holding that may originate from an early age; breath holding numbs painful sensations and intense emotions, and sometimes kids' bodies take on this pattern to self-protect. To rebalance when feeling frozen, small and low-energy, do a breath pattern that flushes the body with oxygen and activates the sympathetic nervous system. For added bonus move your body to counteract that sense of freezing and shrinking-- experience your full complexity and power by feeling your whole body move.
Breath Practices to Try
I recommend trying these practices on your own for 3-7 minutes. Pick a song or make a short playlist to keep track of time. Take note of anything happening in your body before (e.g. tension places, energy level, depth of breathing) and any shifts during and after. Do these breaths in a supported position-- laying down flat, on a chair with a back, or against a wall. If you explore these and questions arise, feel free to email me at embodywithnidhi@gmail.com, I would love to hear from you!
Pursed Lips Breath
Inhale through the nose, long exhale through pursed lips (lips shaped like you're saying oooo)
I typically start my morning with this breath, clearing out any lingering energy from the dreamworld and previous day. Allow the exhale to be long, and feel any trapped air release. Feel your weight sink into the Earth on the exhales, and visualize any energy that no longer serves, and that isn't yours being returned to the Earth for transformation.
Diaphragm Breath
Inhale and exhale through nose, breathing deep into the belly and thus engaging the diaphragm muscle
The diaphragm is a muscle in your belly that is shaped like an upside down parachute. The parachute inflates when you breathe into the belly, and this is when the diaphragm muscle is contracted, aka working. Diaphragm breathing strengthens this muscle, massaging your gut and other organs and offering deep release in this space that is often so fraught. Especially when done daily for 5 minutes, the diaphragm breath is an incredible force for gut healing.
For me, one indication that I'm in an unbalanced state is when a diaphragm breath doesn't feel easily accessible. Typically I'll do one of the other breath patterns until the deep belly breath feels more available. If your breath feels constricted, try embracing that as valuable information empowering you to care for yourself, not a problem or malfunction with your body. Your body is working hard for you!
Oxygenating Breath
Inhale and exhale through the mouth; start by breathing into the belly only, then add on the chest
The full three parts are: into the belly, into the chest, and then exhale
For this breath we bring in air through the mouth, to help flush the body with oxygen. Start off gentle and slow with this breath, feeling the air enliven your system, and then settle into a rhythm and/or expand into a deeper breath if that feels supportive. I often do this breath for 5 mins in the morning after the pursed lips and diaphragm breath. Try out starting with breathing into the belly only, and then add on the chest.
Added Bonus: Gathering Awareness
To level-up with any breathing practice (or really anything in life), gather your awareness. The essence of all meditation practices is gathering your attention and energy, and magical things happen in this space. Bringing together breath practices and awareness is central to many ancestral practices, including Qigong and Yoga. We are just beginning to gain scientific insight into how these practices help the body maintain and reclaim balance.