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On Wednesdays, we’ll reflect: See below for some some of what I’ve learned from the week to inspire reflection. 🙂
W.I.L.T.W (What I Learned This Week)
On 4/7/8 Breathing & It’s Powerful Reset Capabilities
The 4/7/8 Method:
* Inhale quietly through your nose for a count of 4.
* Hold your breath for a count of 7.
* Exhale forcefully through your mouth, making a whoosh sound, for a count of 8.
I’m definitely not a doctor or a wellness guru, but I wanted to share a tool I learned that I rely on and keep in my toolbox 🙂 . It’s essentially a override for your stress response. The method is outlined above.
While the practice feels quite effortless, it is often described as the body’s natural tranquilizer. Dr. Andrew Weil developed this specific method and it’s a foundational principle for his center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, though its roots actually trace back to the ancient yogic practice of pranayama.
I wanted to do some more digging into it’s science, and wanted to write a bit about why I find this how this method interacts with our biology to be fascinating.
What makes this effective is its ability to act as a rapid state change mechanism. By returning to our breath with conscious awareness, we influence our autonomic nervous system. Essentially, this technique helps the brain exit the fight or flight mode of the sympathetic nervous system and enter the rest state of the parasympathetic nervous system.
From what I can take away, here are some of the neurological shifts happening here:
deep breathing allows us to tune our brain's frequency by amplifying theta and delta waves. Theta waves are the gateway to our creativity and intuition, acting as the bridge to our emotional processing. Delta waves are the slowest frequencies our brains produce and are usually dominant during deep sleep. They are responsible for recovery, healing, and memory consolidation. By practicing this breathwork, we are invite restorative frequencies
the practice stabilizes carbon dioxide levels in our red blood cells. When CO2 is stable, the amygdala — the alarm bell of the body — becomes less reactive
4/7/8 stimulates the vagus nerve. It’s our longest cranial nerve, controlling involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion. Stimulating it helps lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety, and bringing a sense of calm to these functions
Sources:
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