Do You Need to Take a Breath? The Power of Focused Breathing

It’s no secret that breathing is vital for survival, but when was the last time you really paid attention to your breath? It turns out that intentional breathing can do wonders for your health.

As chiropractors, we are particularly interested in breathing because it directly links to the Autonomic Nervous System – the part of your brain and nerves that keep you alive and balances the interaction between your ‘stress’ response and ‘relax’ response. We want these systems to work in harmony, but with daily life being hectic for many of us it can often result in our ‘stress response’ being activated for long periods, making our bodies work harder.

What happens when our body is on the go all the time? It can manifest in ways that may go unnoticed at first, such as increased body tension, mood changes, poor sleep, and recovery. 

And this is where focused breathing can help. It can profoundly benefit our health and help to move us away from the ‘stress mode’. Here are just some of the benefits intentional breathing can bring:

• Increases mental clarity: Focused breathing can help clear your mind and improve your ability to focus.
• Reduces stress and anxiety: Taking deep breaths can activate the ‘relax’ response we mentioned at the start, helping to calm your body and reduce stress.
• Lowers heart rate: Deep breathing can slow down your heart rate and promote relaxation.
• Aids digestion: By increasing oxygen flow to your digestive system, focused breathing can help digestion.
• Supports healing and repair: Deep breathing promotes oxygenation throughout the body, which is essential for recovery and repair.

So, how can you incorporate focused breathing into your daily routine?

A straightforward technique which we love at Epoch is ‘box breathing’, and the brilliant thing about it is that you can do it anywhere, and even a couple of minutes a day can make a big difference!

Here’s how it works:

1. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.
2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
3. Breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds.
4. Pause for 4 seconds.
5. Repeat the cycle as many times as necessary.

At Epoch we’re committed to helping your body function at its best, and incorporating focused breathing into your daily routine can be a powerful way to support your health journey.

So why not give it a try? I can’t wait to hear how you get on!

With love,
Sarah