Breathe Yourself To Wellbeing Leave a comment

Breath is a vitally important tool in changing our mindset and thus our frequency, and intentional breathing comes with many other proven health benefits.

 

Our bodies are home to many oscillating systems that are repetitive and ever changing. Breath is one of the few of these systems that is actually under our control. Did you know that changing and experimenting with the speed, style, and depth of our breath influences the wellbeing and functioning of our bodies, and is a quick way to reset your vibration. Dr Rosalba Courtney (PhD and Functional Breathing Therapist) states that “breathing has the ability to entrain, organise and regulate other oscillating systems (such as our heart beat), helping them to also oscillate at their optimal (resonance) frequency.”

One type of breathing we can use to regulate our physiology is resonance frequency breathing (RFB). You may have come across this style of breathing, or other slow breathing practices, in yoga or meditation classes. RFB is the practice of slow and deep diaphragmatic breathing at approximately 3 – 7 breaths a minute – yes it is possible to take only so many breaths in a minute!

Research into RFB is relatively new, beginning in the 1990s. However, humans have known about this type of breathing instinctively for hundreds of years; certain hymns, chants, and prayers produce resonant frequency breathing when spoken.

Some of the benefits of resonance frequency breathing include: 

• Blood pressure regulation
• Calms the body’s fight or flight response
• Decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and panic disorder
• Increases activity in parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve

This type of breathing also has an effect on our heart rate. A key marker of one’s health and mood is heart rate variability – or the amount of time between consecutive heartbeats and how that metric varies. An excerpt from the study The Impact of Resonance Frequency Breathing on Measures of Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure, and Mood by researchers at the Brigham Young University states: 

Heart rate and breathing synchronize, or become resonance, at about 6 breaths/min (0.1 Hz). Each person has a unique Resonant Frequency breathing rate, ranging typically between 4.5 and 7.0 breaths/min. 

Breathing at your resonance frequency can therefore assist in synchronizing not only the respiratory, but also cardio-vascular, cardio-respiratory, and autonomic nervous systems – resulting in a better and more efficiently functioning body. 

Take time during your day to practice slowing down and being intentional about your breathing – every slow breath and moment of pause will shift the way you feel.

Read More Here: 

Steffen, P et al. 2017. The Impact of Resonance Frequency Breathing on Measures of Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure, and Mood. Available: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00222

Russo, M et al. 2017. The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Available: https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/13/4/298

Courtney, R. No date. Resonance frequency breathing. Available: https://www.rosalbacourtney.com/resonance-frequency-breathing

Lynn, K. 2021. Got Anxiety? This May Change Your Life. Available: https://medium.com/change-your-mind/got-anxiety-this-may-change-your-life-e069da8f6fa3

Frenzel, M. 2021. How I Used Resonance Breathing and HRV Training To Combat Anxiety. Available: https://betterhumans.pub/how-i-used-resonance-breathing-and-hrv-training-to-combat-anxiety-d5d8f727020f