5-Minute Ancient Anxiety-Relieving Breath Technique

5-Minute Ancient

Anxiety-Relieving Breath Technique

Perhaps you can relate to this interaction I had with my primary care physician nearly a decade ago.

“You need to spend some time each day taking deep breaths,” he said to me. “This will help you deal with your anxiety.”

My blood started to boil.

“Fuck you,” I wanted to say to the doctor. “Do you know how many times and by how many people I’ve been told that in my life?”

“Doctor, I’ve tried breathing and meditation and it doesn’t help. There has to be something you can do to help me--I wake up every day in a state of dread. I’m 26 and I feel like I’m dying.”

The doctor looked concerned. “The other option is I can write you a referral to go see a psychiatrist. Just know that they are probably going to write you an anti-anxiety prescription.”

Great. Just what I need--another band-aid to mask the pain. Another drug to become dependent upon.

FUCK THAT. I’m learning how to breathe.

The Science

At any given moment, we are in one of two states of being: “fight or flight” or “rest and digest.” “Fight or flight,” aka sympathetic nervous system, is a state of heightened awareness that protects us in times of danger. In this state, adrenaline pumps into our bloodstream, giving us extra energy and focus and our breath and heart rates are elevated.

Compare that with “rest and digest,” aka parasympathetic nervous system.  In this state, our breath is long and our heart rate is low. This is our relaxed and natural state of being that allows for a sense of well-being, joy and pleasure.

But let’s get real, “rest and digest” is not the normal state of existence for modern man. Instead, most people are living in a constant state of anxiety.

And the crazy part is many people have no idea that they are living their lives mostly in the “red zone.” After all, eating on the run, multiple cups of coffee, scary movies, screaming toddlers, constant domestic disputes etc., etc., are all a part of the rat race that keeps us in “fight or flight.” 

This is the reality of modern day living. And somehow it works for many of us.

That is, until we crash. 

A weakened immune system, adrenal fatigue, panic attacks, insomnia, stomach illness, stroke and heart attack are all symptoms of being stuck in “fight or flight” for too many years. The endless stress of life piles up and wreaks havoc on our health and well-being.

The Wisdom

Interestingly, this jacked-up state of humanity is not actually a new phenomenon at all. For thousands of years, doctors and healers have been faced with the task of helping humans handle their stress, anxiety and emotions.

Ancient doctors taught people how to address the root causes of stress and anxiety, rather than simply giving out prescriptions to address the symptoms.

The prescriptions were simple movement, breath, voice and meditation techniques. Yoga, as it is called in the ancient Indian tradition, is just one culture’s way of teaching people to heal themselves. Chinese medicine, shamanic healers and ancient medicine practitioners from all over the globe have their own name for it. 

With the recent spread of yoga into the western world, the roots of yoga as a tool for inner healing has been largely lost. In the USA, yoga has essentially turned into aerobics and which can add more stress to the practitioner.

Fortunately, thanks to globalization and the information age, authentic traditions of yoga have been preserved and are emerging from the caves.

In Jed.i Husband Training men are taught, over a 7-week period, an authentic and therapeutic kind of yoga that focuses on breath techniques for stress-reduction.

Below are three fundamental concepts for breathing correctly that every man should know.

Step 1: Breath through your nose, not your mouth

Not only do your nostrils filter and clean the air, but nose breath also creates nitric oxide (aka laughing gas). Yes, it is possible to get high on your own supply. Nitric oxide oxygenates the blood stream, opening the “vents,” so-to-speak, to nourish your entire system.

Step 2: Make your breath long and smooth

Duh, but how exactly do we do this?

By creating a “valve.”

A valve prevents us from gulping, or gasping our breath. Think of the narrow tip of a  bellows-- there is no way to rush pumping air through it.

There are a number of ways to valve with your breath (lips, tongue, alternate nostril, etc.). Beginners should begin with a throat valve.

A throat valve, also called “ujjayi” breath (ooh-JAH-yee), is the single most accessible and effective tool for deep breathing.

Practice it with your mouth open first. Pretend like you’re fogging a window, or making a Darth Vader breath. Try it on inhale and exhale. When you get the hang of it, seal your lips and breathe with your nose.

If you get tired, or feel like ujjayi is stressing you out, take a break. It takes time to become familiar with this technique.

Step 3: Breathe from your belly

Focusing your breath in your chest is energizing, whereas focusing on your belly breath is calming.

Belly breathing requires learning and understanding how the diaphragm, abdominals and root all move together with the breath. We spend a whole week on this in Jed.i Husband Training.

These three concepts are where we begin learning how to turn our breath into a tool for beating anxiety. Once we understand these fundamentals of breath, we are ready to dive into advanced practices that regulate our nervous systems in more therapeutic ways.

Now is the perfect time to learn how to master your breath and heal your nervous system. Join Jed.i Husband Training-- and start healing anxiety at the root. This online course, supported by weekly virtual circles, is 50% off during our pre-launch period ($247 instead of $497) -- this one-time discount is gone forever Wednesday 4/22/20 at 11:11pm PST.