The authors' objective was to compare what happens in meditation, when the person focuses attention exclusively on breathing, trying to empty the mind, with what happens during exercises in which the person actively controls inhalation and exhalation.
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They are:
- Five minutes of exercise with long exhalations and shorter inspirations;
- Five minutes with the same duration between inhalations and exhalations;
- And, finally, a third exercise with exhalations faster than inhalations, also for five minutes.
Four groups of volunteers dedicated themselves to one of these practices every day for four weeks.
Although all reported gains in well-being, the technique in which exhalation is slower, codouble the inspiration time, was the most effective of all in body self-regulation and improving mood.
In search of balance between mind and body
For centuries, different cultures have used mind-body practices to improve emotional state.
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“Slow and deep breathing exercises, especially those that extend exhalation, are described in ancient yoga texts as a means of achieving a calmer mental state,” says Maria Ester Azevedo Massola, coordinator of the Integrative Medicine Team at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.
These exercises modulate the autonomic nervous system, stimulate the relaxation response, reduce blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension, in addition to promoting the release of endogenous opioids.
“They also bring benefits to immune function, mental and cardiopulmonary health”, adds Massola.
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According to the authors of the study from Stanford University, voluntarily controlling breathing also favors the perception of the body's internal sensations, called interoception.
“This helps to modulate stress because by realizing more quickly how our physiology is being altered through controlled breathing, we can promote bodily self-regulation, providing a greater sense of control and well-being”, explains the expert.
In other studies, the feeling of lack of control has been associated with anxiety and panic syndrome.
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Let's put it in the routine?
“This type of exercise can be easily learned and incorporated into a self-care routine, increasing physical and mental well-being, as well as bringing long-term benefits as a tool to improve the management of stress and anxiety,” says Massola.
“Done in a comfortable way, there is no contraindication. At Albert Einstein Hospital Onco-Hematology, we teach this breathing to patients of all ages. Furthermore, as the study shows, just five minutes a day already brings many benefits, we can no longer use the old excuse 'I don't have time'.”
Regarding meditation, people with uncontrolled mental health disorders should seek medical advice and a qualified teacher before starting the practice.
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How to use breathing to calm the body and mind:
- Try to stay in a comfortable posture, sitting or lying down;
- Start breathing in more deeply, counting 2 or 3 seconds;
- Try to exhale the air more slowly, in twice that time: 4 or 6 seconds;
- The execution must be smooth and pleasant, there can be no discomfort;
- As the practice becomes more routine, this count can be increased, always trying to maintain a ratio between inspiration and exhalation of 1:2.
(Source: Einstein Agency/ Gabriela Cupani)
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