ARISJEROME/©ARTPARTNER72 / WOMEN’S HEALTH SEPTEMBER 2019
Signed up for yoga and
spotted...a breathing work-
shop on the studio schedule?
I do that all day for free, you
think. But here’s the truth:
Breathing is such strong medi-
cine that a growing number of
wellness studios are offering
breathwork circles—workshops
dedicated to the art of inhaling
and exhaling—to teach you to
put your lungs to work in a more
intentional way. And experts
are totally on board. “You can
completely shift the functioning
of the autonomic nervous system
[ANS] just by how you breathe,”
says Mimi Guarneri, MD,
medical director at Guarneri
Integrative Health at Pacific
Pearl La Jolla.
Here’s how it work s. Your A NS
has two parts. One is the sympa-
thetic nervous system (SNS),
which triggers the fight-or-flight
response that sends your heart
and respiration racing, putting
you in an anxious, high-alert
state. The other is the parasym-
pathetic nervous system (PNS),
which slows these functions,
guiding your body to a calmer
place. By varying the length of
your inhalations and exhalations
or changing their rate, you can
activate the SNS or the PNS and,
in turn, shift how you feel
and think, says Dr. Guarneri.
So whether you need to boost
your energ y midday or ta mp
down negative thoughts you can’t
shake—there’s a breath for that.
You’re in a 3 a.m.
worry spiral...
TRY BREATHING IN PMRProgressive muscle relax-
ation teaches how to tight-
en and relax your muscles,
and the whole body, while
deep-breathing. For some,
it can be an A+ insomnia
antidote. Dr. Guarneri rec-
ommends focusing on the
breath to break the cycle of
the mind jumping from one
thing to the next. Among
more than 800 people
who used PMR, two-thirds
reported that it improved
slumber, per one review.
Get started: Lie in bed,
eyes closed. Inhale and
notice any tightness in your
feet (you can contract the
foot muscles), then exhale
and release any tension.
Travel up your body muscle
by muscle—we bet you’re
snoring before you reach
your shoulders.You’re having a
total freak-out...
TRY FULL YOGIC
BREATHSThe normal reaction in a
moment of panic is to take
quick, shallow breaths. In-
stead, take long, deep ones
to activate your PNS, which
slows your heart rate and
tells your brain that it will be
okay, says Aira Guevara, a
hatha yoga teacher at Pri-
tikin Longevity Center. Peo-
ple who did 20 sessions of a
diaphragmatic breathing
class over eight weeks had
lower levels of the stress
hormone cortisol than a
control group, found a study
in Frontiers in Psychology.
Your turn: Inhale for four
counts up through the ab-
domen, ending at the top of
your lungs. Then relea se for
eight counts from top to
bottom, squeezing your ab
muscles to “wring” the air
out, says Guevara. Repeat
for three to five minutes.You’re burping
and cramping and
bloating (oh my)...
TRY DIAPHRAGMATIC
BREATHINGTummy troubles? Let the
breathing occur in your
stomach, allowing it to get
bigger when inhaling and
smaller when exhaling, says
Erik Peper, PhD, of SFSU’s
Institute for Holistic Health
S tudies. This taps the rela x-
ation response, counteract-
ing anxiety and stress that
trigger gut woes. Slow belly
breaths may quell irritable
bowel syndrome–related
pain too, possibly by upping
blood flow to the abdomen.
Do it: Exhale for four
counts, hold for two, inhale
for three, hold for one. Take
about six breaths per min-
ute for five minutes. FYI: On
the inhale, the lower ribs
should open; on the exhale,
the belly should contract.GET SOME FRESH AIR
Galloping heart?
Soaring blood pres-
sure? Those stress
side effects dissipate
when you take long,
deep breaths to relax.