Stressed? Burnt Out? Do This…AND Then Do This

by Aude Garderet and Bruce Taylor, founders of A & B Therapy 

The thing about stress is has a peculiar ability to just lurk in the background, be that the physical; mental; or energetic backgrounds of our lives.  This latent stress will continue to build until the system itself is no longer able to contain it.  We all know that stress is the harbinger of so many diseases (pretty much name a disease and stress will be at its root).  Give that we know this, then why isn’t stress reduction something that we put first and foremost?  Why isn’t stress something at we are all working diligently to root up and rid ourselves from?  Why is it that we are quite comfortable with carrying around this mantle of stress?  

Of course there are a million and one reasons that we are not able or willing to get to the root cause of this stress. Dealing with it could mean being honest about your satisfaction in life, with your family, your job, life here in Hong Kong, fill in the blank.  If it’s causing resistance in your life then it is causing you stress and sometimes we may feel drawn to inaction as if our hands are tied or if change seems insurmountable.   


Or, stress can also be seen as a motivator.  We all know those who work better under stress or within stressful environments.   Here the impetus to change may just not be that pressing.  

Regardless of the circumstance, stress, in all its manifestations, needs to be properly identified and released otherwise inflammation and disease are certain to follow.  
The good news is that stress reduction is nothing magical, and it is as simple as keying into the breath. 

So where ever you happen to be while reading this article, if possible, just try this simple test and let’s see where you are at present: 

Take out your phone and open up the stop watch and count the full number of breaths that you take within one minute. 

You are going to want to start either at the beginning of an inhale, or at the beginning of an exhale, essentially just so you know where your frame of reference begins on the initial cycle of breath. 


--Don’t cheat here, no sneaky attempts to slow the breathing or anything, be honest with yourself and just count.  Perhaps close your eyes for a bit and just get into the count.   

So….how did you do and what does this tell you? 

The normal rate of respiration of a person at rest is between 12-20 breaths per minute, but normal life is a life that is plagued with stress, disease, suffering, and resistance….all of which make this “resting” respiration rate far too high!  

The goal here is to bring your respiration rate down to between 2 and 6 breaths per minute, and the science behind slow diaphragmatic breathing is pretty clear and convincing.  By slowing the breath we are tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system, essentially, we are returning to a state of rest and balance, and we are allowing the blood to become fully saturated with oxygen as we are utilizing the largest quadrants of our lungs.  Shallow, rapid breathing in the upper section of the lungs, however, results in less oxygen saturation and an excitation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is the flight or fight response center.  

So go back to that number again, the breaths per minute, where are you?  
If you are 15 and above then you are in a constant state of latent stress.  
If you are between 10-15 breaths then you are more relaxed but still carrying the burden of tension and stress.  
6-10 breaths per minute is the resting rate of people who practice deep meditation (think monks and so on).  
Anyone go lower?  
It’s very possible to be between 3-6 breaths per minute, essentially a state of constant rest and relaxation.  This is closer to the rate of breathing while in deep sleep.  


Slow the breath à Slow the mind à Slow the body à Release Stress à Begin to Heal.  
So we’ve got to get the number down as low as possible, but it’s got to mean tons of meditation and introspection right?  Not at all!

Step one was figuring your breaths per minute.  
Step two is a super easy breathing technique that you can literally do anywhere called box breathing.  

Box breathing is very simple, and it will calm you down and drain stress and tension in, literally, 5 minutes of practice.  
As the name implies, it is a box, so there are 4 equal sides and they are 

Inhale
Hold
Exhale
Hold

Each of these four sides are of equal length in time, so I would suggest everyone start with a count of 5 seconds: 


Inhale slowly for a count of 5 (at 5 your lungs should be full)
Hold the breath for a count of 5
Exhale slowly for a count of 5 (at 5 your lungs should be empty) 
Hold the breath for a count of 5 

-This is one round and you just continue within this box breathing practice for about 5 minutes and just notice the difference it makes.  

Note at a count of 5 you are now down to only 3 breaths per minute.  Can you make it down to only 1 breath per minute, or thus increasing the count to 15 seconds per step?  
There is a whole universe to discover within the power of the breath, and this is just scratching the surface, but with these two powerful tools (counting the breaths per minute and box breathing) you are able to quickly and accurately determine your state of stress and begin to completely release it.  

The breath is the key to all health and wellbeing, give these simple techniques a try and see how easy it is to step into a calmer and more peaceful mind and body, something we all should be striving for! 

Join Aude and Bruce the 16th-17th of November for their Transformational Retreat for Individuals step into your higher potential! More info.