Mindfulness, meditation and slow breathing techniques
On the 21st September 2015 a Mindfulness flash mob took place in Trafalgar Square, providing coverage on the news channels of the use of meditation.
The organisers of the Mindfulness event believe that by sitting peacefully together in the middle of Trafalgar Square they would send a message that happiness and peace are best pursued by looking deep inside ourselves and committing to taking action.
Meditation and slow breathing techniques however have been proven medically to help relieve stress and anxiety. Indeed the British Medical Journal reported that research at Oxford University Medical School showed that when people are anxious and distressed various homeostatic mechanisms do not run in synchronisation. This includes pulse rate, blood pressure, partial pressure of carbon dioxide and oxygen and the ph of the blood.
The research showed that when slow breathing techniques are used for a minimum of 10 minutes all these homeostatic regulatory cycles then work together due to the impact of the 10 second breath cycle.
Slow Breathing Technique.
This technique can be used when individuals are anxious, stressed, ill at ease and have difficulties with calming down.
The breath cycle is a total duration of 10 seconds. The breath is a slow breath, breathing in slowly but breathing out far more slowly.
The following is a suggestion for individuals looking to implement this technique:
- Breathe in and out slowly at the end of the first breath count 1
- Repeat as above and count 2
- Repeat as above and count 3
- Continue this until you reach 10
- People can lose count because they are anxious if this occurs start again from 1. If you complete 1 cycle (10 successful exhales of breath continue for 3 more cycles – ie. 30 breaths)
This can be used by the individuals as many times as is required in a day.
Another benefit of this technique is that it puts the individual in control of their emotions and this can then help a person to think more clearly too. The technique is also helpful to assist an individual who has difficulty sleeping.
Within Ahed Therapes we use a variety of treatments to assist individuals take control of their lives. Meditation and slow breathing techniques are often very successful tools for people to learn and can provide immense relief to patients.