Intentionally breathing is a powerful tool to improve health, reduce pain, and ease stress. Breathing with purpose is the foundation of meditation and has been advocated by physicians, philosophers, and religious leaders for thousands of years. I titled today’s blog post “Weaponizing Your Breathing,” to create an image of how powerful this simple act can be for managing the daunting challenges of everyday life. Think of intentional breathing as a sword, able to cut down enemies and defend the homeland.
What is Intentional Breathing?
We all have to breathe – it’s not optional. There are two types of breathing – autonomic and intentional. Autonomic breathing is what we do all day long without thinking about it. The autonomic nervous system regulates it, hence the name. Intentional breathing is taking in breaths intentionally and consciously.
While autonomic breathing keeps us alive, it has little effect on reducing pain. Intentional breathing, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. This simple act of breathing in and out with intention is the foundation of meditation. But what exactly are we talking about when we say intentional breathing? Let’s try it together. Sit back in your chair, close your eyes, and slowly take a breath until your lungs are full. Hold for a few seconds, and slowly release the air out of your lungs. That’s intentional breathing.
Challenges of Daily Living
Managing chronic health conditions can sometimes feel like living in a warzone. Daily health challenges can fill our lives with conflict, tension, stress, and pain, making it difficult to perform tasks that most people take for granted. In addition, some conditions are purely physical, while others involve cognitive functioning and emotional strain. Yet, no matter the challenge, weaponizing your breathing with intentional breathing can help significantly.
It may be hard for a healthy person to fully comprehend how health conditions impact daily life. Many people take the following functions for granted:
- Good bowel movements
- A good night’s sleep
- Not feeling anxious
- Not feeling depressed
- Having the energy to get up in the morning and start their day
- Not having to run to the bathroom seven times in the morning
- Not having a migraine that makes it impossible to think straight
- Not having brain fog that makes it difficult to interact with work colleagues
Yet people with chronic health issues struggle with basic functions regularly. Such health conditions include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, Crohn’s disease, Irritable bowel syndrome, generalized anxiety, chronic depression, chronic insomnia, any chronic pain (back, hip, shoulder, neck, knee, etc.), chronic migraine headaches, or dysmenorrhea (painful periods).
Weaponizing Your Breathing
Now, what do we mean by weaponizing your breathing? Here’s the way I think about it. Rick Riordan wrote a series of young adult books featuring a character named Percy Jackson. Percy was a demigod (half man, half god) and had this cool pen that he could take out of his pocket, and it would turn into a sword, which he used to slay all the bad guys. It didn’t matter if he ever lost track of the blade because it always ended up as a pen in his pocket whenever he needed it.
Breathing as a Healing Weapon
Intentional breathing is like Percy Jackson’s sword, always in our pocket, ready for use as a weapon to combat pain, fatigue, foggy brain, anxiety, and the like. Taking a few deep breaths helps reset our mind and body and will reduce our discomfort. From a Chinese medicine perspective, intentional breathing circulates Qi (energy) and blood, promoting a return to balance. When we treat our patients with acupuncture, we counsel them to intentionally breathe during the week so they can “recall” their treatment. When prompted with intentional breathing, the body will re-activate the acupuncture points from their treatment.
Intentional Breathing Versus Meditation
You may be wondering how intentional breathing compares to meditation. I said earlier that intentional breathing is the foundation of meditation. The primary difference is that intentional breathing is much easier to access, requires little practice, and you can utilize it at a moment’s notice. On the other hand, meditation requires planning, discipline, and lots of practice – which is great if that’s your scene. I do not doubt that an active meditation practice would make weaponizing your breathing even more powerful. But it’s not necessary!
I advocate weaponizing your breathing throughout the day, inhaling and exhaling three to five times whenever you remember or feel stressed. You can develop a habit of taking intentional breaths throughout the day. With each breath, you circulate the Qi and blood in your body, nourishing your internal organs, calming the mind, and reducing stress. This process, in turn, eases pain and discomfort. While not as potent as a prescription pain reliever, intentional breathing takes the edge off the pain and keeps your Qi flowing.
Final Thoughts on the Breath
Here are some good times throughout the day to practice weaponizing your breathing:
- Getting stuck at a red light on your way to work or school when you’re running late.
- Feeling a wave of fatigue right before an important meeting at work.
- Receiving a harsh email from your boss.
- Opening your mailbox and finding a letter from the IRS.
- Having the air conditioning stop working on a 90-degree day.
- Waking up with pain, knowing you still need to get the kids up and out to school.
- Not being able to sleep even though you’re exhausted.
- Dealing with constipation (or diarrhea) for the third day in a row.
You can see how this list can be endless. But if you find a moment to pause amid the battle and take a few intentional breaths, I guarantee that life will get easier. Sometimes these incremental changes, small in appearance, make the difference between managing through the day and crashing in flames.
Next Steps
Try weaponizing your breathing if you have health issues. See if intentional breathing helps manage your day and improve your quality of life.
If you want to try acupuncture, book an appointment online.
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Focus Keyphrase: Weaponizing Your Breathing
Photo by Thirdman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-tank-top-meditating-6958256/