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3. Brecka breath<\/p>\n
I do this practice every morning as part of my somatics\/polyvagal routine. It was recommended by a somatic teacher who said, \u201cIt may look and feel a bit bro-y, but if you are oxygen-deprived due to stomach gripping or tension myositis syndrome<\/a>, this kind of breathing can help you.\u201d<\/p>\n What separates this practice from others, as far as I can tell, is the intentional pause you take between rounds of breath. In this special pause you relax and tune into the sounds of the world around you. Stay in that space for a few beats before slowly inhaling, exhaling, then returning to the next round. It took me a while to catch the hang of it, but now I really love that pause.<\/p>\n How to Brecka breathe<\/p>\n When just getting started, do 3 rounds of 10 breaths.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Inhale deeply as shown in the video. Exhale naturally. Do this breath 10 times in a row.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Let your shoulders rise as you breathe in. Fill your chest and belly on the inhale. Allow the exhale to follow the inhale without overthinking it.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Once you have finishes one round of 10 breaths, pause on the inhale. Do not exhale. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n Tune into the sounds around you and try not to tense up as you hold the breath. Relax into the feeling. Check out the video to see what this looks like.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Once you\u2019ve held that inhale as long as you can, slowly inhale and exhale, then get ready for round two.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Do another round of 10 breaths, same as above, then pause again on the inhale. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n Repeat one last time.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Over time, build to 3 rounds of 30 breaths. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 4. Mindset\/emotion check-in<\/p>\n Every day I set aside at least 10 minutes to \u201ctidy\u201d my mindset. Depending on the day, I do this by journaling or sitting quietly in the sun. The goal is the same \u2014 to create the internal space to understand what\u2019s happening that day on a deeper emotional level.<\/p>\n I use Nicole Sachs\u2019 approach to journaling. It\u2019s called Journal Speak<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong>When you sit down to Journal Speak, your goal is to speak directly from the emotion itself, unmediated by thought or analysis. This is radically different from the way I journaled throughout my 20s, which was filled with overthinking and self-analysis. Remember, many of us unintentionally suppress and avoid emotions we perceive as negative. When we give voice to unconscious negative emotions, we\u2019re defanging them and soothing our nervous systems.<\/p>\n When I\u2019m not in the right place to journal, I do this same practice without paper, sitting quietly in the sun to tune into the negative chatter in my head. I try to feel the emotions surfacing in my body. I allow myself to rest in uncomfortable emotional spaces. This is not easy but I know that it\u2019s important: By teaching myself emotions aren\u2019t as scary as they seem, I am regaining control of my nervous system\u2019s master switch. Once I\u2019ve done that enough, I send soothing mantras\/phrases to the parts of my internal self that are complaining the loudest.<\/p>\n 5. Afternoon gear shift<\/p>\n Nervous system regulation is best practiced in small and frequent ways. It\u2019s important to learn to shift gears periodically throughout the work day \u2014 moving from the sympathetic part of the system (\u201cflight or fight\u201d) to the ventral (\u201csafety and connection\u201d).<\/p>\n Learning to relax in between tasks is another way of mastering your nervous system\u2019s light switch.5<\/a> I do this by taking a quick moment in the middle of the day to connect with nature. This could be 5 minutes spent in my backyard, a small walk up and down the street examining tree leaves, or sitting and petting my dogs. I tell myself, \u201cIt\u2019s OK to coast sometimes. I don\u2019t always need to be in overdrive.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m a broken record but will say one more time: the goal is to teach yourself that you are safe. If you are able to do that, your entire system can relax, your pain will be lessened, and your anxiety will plummet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n