Control Your Breath to Control Yourself.
There is no longer any argument about it: the practice of Breathwork enhances performance in sports and business. It improves health and increases enjoyment in everyday life.
It is being used everywhere—from the battlefield to the playing field, from the classroom to the courtroom, from the boardroom to the bedroom.
When you control your breath, you control your energy and your awareness. When you control your breath, you control your body and your chemistry. When you control your breath, you control your attitude and your emotions.
You can use Breathwork to control the anxiety that comes before or during a stressful event. And you can use it to recover from a shock or trauma, or after a stressful experience. You can use breathwork to stimulate the brain and nervous system, or to calm it down.
The quality of your mind and your emotions is determined by the quality of your breath. In other words, by controlling your breath, you control yourself. By controlling your breath, you can control everything else. It’s that simple. For example, by controlling your breath, you can control your blood pressure and your heart rate.
If you take in a quick deep breath and hold it while locking up your neck, jaw and shoulders, you can create a sharp rise in blood pressure and heart rate. This can be useful for example in an emergency, or when you need to brace yourself to survive a crisis or meet a challenge.
On the other hand, when you exhale slowly and allow a relaxed pause after the exhale, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your heart rate. Slow deep breathing strengthens the heart, while shallow breathing actually makes your heart work harder.
And when it comes to performance, a long exhale and a relaxed pause will increase your precision and accuracy. Ask any leading surgeon, diamond cutter, archer, billiard player or marksman.
Here are some quick tips for athletes and performers:
When you want to calm yourself down, slow your breathing down. When you want to ramp up your energy, turn up your breathing. When you want to focus your mind, focus on your breath.
When you want to take advantage of a break in the action to quickly recharge and recover, use quick sharp exhales, squeezing the air out, and then allowing passive, reflexive inhales.
When you want to charge your system with energy without ramping up stress and tension, give yourself a few strong sharp exhales through the mouth, and allow the inhales to be reflexive.
It seems counter intuitive, but when you need more oxygen or energy, when you feel short of breath, it’s often best to focus on the exhale rather than the inhale.
Another useful practice is to shake and wiggle your body and limbs while breathing consciously. Lift your shoulders and drop them in synch with the breath. Shake your arms and hands while deliberately releasing the breath.
This is a great way to flush all the chemicals out of your system that build up when you are tense or anxious, or engaged in high intensity activities. Notice that boxers and ball players intuitively do this.
Breathwork is the new yoga! It is the new meditation! If you are ready to discover, explore, and develop the power and potential of Breathwork for your own benefit, or to help your clients, students, or patients, then I have great news:
Coming on March 1st is the global launch of the all new Breathwork Fundamentals Course. It includes a textbook, a workbook, and a collection of audio-video training materials.
Whether you are new to breathwork or a seasoned practitioner, you will want to master the principles and practices in this course. The course is only $267 USD. And if you purchase it right now, this month, you can take advantage of the outrageous pre-launch offer: just $168 USD.
All the info is here: www.o2collective.com/p/fundamentals
The other great news is that we are organizing a live Fundamentals Tour beginning in California, and I am inviting two of the best breathwork trainers I know in Australia to join me on the tour!
Visit: https://www.o2collective.com/p/dan-brulé-california and check out all
the details!
In the meantime, I wish you much luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path!
