We learned that slow, half-speed breathing reduces fear and stress.
The majority of Americans say they are overwhelmed by stress every day (a “red mind”). Chronic stress speeds cellular aging, inflammation, and damage to mitochondria, telomeres and epigenetic noise.
A “blue mind” of social safety comes from deep sleep and deep rest. Slow breathing is the key. It has the opposite effect of the stress response.
UCSF Prof Elissa Epel just led us through some slow breathing exercises (2 deep breaths in followed by one long exhale, then a 4-second inhale, 6-second hold and 8-second exhale) for a couple minutes. She mentioned that the Oura ring tracks stress now. I am wearing one, so I went to check. Whoa. Look at that peak. I started the day with a burst of stress as our daughter woke us up early. She demanded a big cup of coffee, and I am her barista. (It’s just foamed milk with a pinch of cinnamon). The breath work did its restorative magic!
Here is a preprint of her latest paper on “Deep Rest: An Integrative Model of How Contemplative Practices Combat Stress and Enhance the Body’s Restorative Capacity”
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