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The Deep Belly Breath: From Stress to Calm in One Breath

Dear Friends,


How is life? Things are good? Bit of stress here and there? News bulletins, traffic jams, job deadlines, finances, family commitments etc? Understandably it can feel all a bit too much at times!

But does it have to be this way? Is there something we can learn to help us live this busy modern life with a bit more joy and ease? Well, yes! We can learn to breathe in a particular way that helps us to go with the flow of the day with ease: The deep belly breath.

Before we explore what this belly breath is and how to do it, let’s turn our attention to how we might be breathing right now. Place your hand at the top of your chest. Is your chest rising and falling? Are your shoulders rising on the inhale? Do you feel like you are getting enough air? This is how many of us breath habitually. It’s called chest breathing. And it can actively induce stress.


Upper Chest Shallow Breathing and the Stress Response


Breathing primarily from the chest leads to shallow, rapid breaths that draw only a small amount of air into our lungs. This type of breathing is common during moments of anxiety or unease, and it creates a self-perpetuating cycle: shallow breathing triggers anxiety, which then reinforces shallow breathing. And on the cycle of stress goes. For many of us, this habit becomes unconscious, filling our daily life with stress and tension. In the absence of underlying conditions like COPD, asthma, or heart disease, habitual shallow breathing often signals a chronic stress pattern and we live our lives in a perpetual state of stress.

The stress response is governed by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), a branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for the “fight or flight” reaction to perceived threats. When the SNS activates under stress, it constricts blood vessels and increases respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. While the SNS is vital for immediate threats (like dodging a falling object), chronic SNS activation leads to ongoing stress and anxiety, which can contribute to stressful days, weeks, months, and even years. Yes, this stress is cumulative, and it has negative effects on physical and mental health, including heart disease, digestive issues, and overwhelm.


The Breath-Brain Feedback Loop


The body and brain are interconnected through a feedback loop: the body sends signals to the brain, and the brain responds to those cues. When breathing is shallow, it can activate the SNS, which then shortens the breath further, perpetuating the stress response. This cycle—shallow breathing triggering stress, which reinforces shallow breathing—is the essence of the stress feedback loop, and it remains active as long as our shallow breathing persists.


The Effective Antidote to Stress: Deep Belly Breathing


How do we break free from this SNS-driven stress cycle? Through the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the counterpart to the SNS. Often called the “rest and digest” system, the PNS promotes relaxation, calmness, and a sense of well-being.

The PNS can be activated through conscious breathing—and specifically, deep belly breathing.

Trust me, belly breathing is one of the most beneficial and valuable life skills you can learn. So let's do this now:


  • Bring your attention to the breath

  • Focus on your navel and draw air deeply into your belly

  • As you inhale, feel your belly rise naturally

  • As you exhale, feel your belly fall naturally

  • Repeat :)


Do this deep belly breathing as much as you can during the day, whenever you remember. Deep belly breaths are slower and more expansive than chest breathing, signaling to your brain and body that it’s safe to relax. This shift encourages a state of ease and calm, helping your body “let its guard down.” Habitual belly breathing will help you achieve a relaxed state, free from chronic stress. You will respond to things rather than react. You will be able to choose calm.


The Ongoing Power of the Belly Breath


Belly breath is one of the quickest ways to initiate deep relaxation; this is well known in the teachings of yoga and tantra. It may feel challenging at first to shift to belly breathing if you’re accustomed to shallow chest breathing, but with practice, your body will embrace the rhythm of deeper, more intentional breaths and enjoy the deep calm and rest that this brings. This practice will nurture a deep sense of balance and well-being.


The best part? This powerful belly breathing tool is entirely within your control. Breathing is the only function of the autonomic nervous system that you can voluntarily regulate. By consciously adjusting your breath, you can actively move from the SNS (fight or flight) to the PNS (rest and digest), and you can learn to do it at will. Now, which would you prefer for your daily life?


Through the power of the deep belly breath, step out of habitual stress into a new world of wellbeing.


Yours in Meditation,

Grant




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