Breath-Body-Mind Exercise

And their effects on the Body,

The limbic system and emotions
JI Arandia, JI Arcullo, & JI Arguelles
 Breathing
process of moving air
in and out of the
lungs
Physiology of breathing
 Physiology of breathing
★ Involuntary action
★ Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
○ Sympathetic
○ Parasympathetic
★ Integration of various afferent inputs
○ In response to metabolic demands
 “
Breathing provides the basis
for communication of emotion
Breathing provides the basis for communication of emotion
★ Basic breathing output is altered by higher brain
centers for a range of higher functions.

★ Modulation of breathing is required for the

expression of emotions.
Breathing provides the basis for communication of emotion
Respiratory acts can be related to a variety of different
emotions, such as:
● Laughing or purring
● Crying
● Gasping, or breath-holding
● Sighing
● Yawning
● Huffing, hissing, snorting
● Hyperventilation/breath-holding
● Singing
Limbic system
 Limbic system
★ Acts as a control center for
conscious and unconscious
functions, regulating much
of what the body does.
★ It connects the mind to
body.
★ Amygdala plays a crucial
role for processing the
negative emotions
○ connected with
respiratory regions in
the medulla and pons
 Stress and anXiety
Respiration or breathing is altered by emotions.

An arousal state or anxiety, associated with defense

mechanism, affects respiratory rate.
 Stress and anXiety
Stress and anxiety result in significant decrements in
human performance.

Our breathing is very much influenced by oscillations in

the intensity of stress.

Coping with stress through deep breaths or meditation.

 “
If you spend some of your day
putting thought and intention into
your breath, you will change your
mind and body.
By controlling your breath, you
can control your mind.
-Mike Perrota
 “
Breathing is a tool to modulate
emotions and state
How breathing exercises can help?
 Proper breathing brings better health
‐ A growing number of studies show that breathing
techniques are effective against anxiety and insomnia
‐ These techniques influence both physiological and
psychological factors
‐ Because these techniques are safe and easy to use,
scientific validation might result in their being more
frequently recommended and practiced.
 Autogenic Training
‐ Johannes Heinrich Schultz, 1920s
‐ Slow and deep breathing
‐ Can help alleviate symptoms of stress
‐ Restores balance between the activity of the sympathetic and
parasympathetic branches of autonomic nervous system
‐ Lowers the blood pressure, slows the heart rate and promotes
function of the immune system
 CARDIAC COHERENCE
‐ Biofeedback
‐ Coordinate breathing with heart rate, slowing and steadying
breathing to slow and stabilize heart beat
‐ Developed based on the understanding that slow, deep
breathing increases the activity of the vagus nerve
‐ When the vagus nerve is stimulated, calmness pervades the
body: the heart rate slows and becomes regular, blood
pressure decreases, muscles relax
‐ Vagus nerve informs brain of these changes, it relaxes and
increase feeling of peacefulness
 Pre-botzinger complex
‐ In 2017, Mark Krasnow et. al, Stanford University
‐ Showed in mice that a group of neurons that regulates
respiratory rhythm (the pre-Botzinger complex in the brain
stem) controls some activity of the locus coeruleus, a region
involved in attention,wakefulness and anxiety
‐ Breathing techniques may influence this seat of emotions by
modulating the activity of the pre-Botzinger complex
 Mindful attention to breath regulates emotions via increased
amygdala-prefrontal cortex connectivity

Anselm Doll et. al, Technical University of Munich

Attention-to-breath(ATB) eases stress and negative emotions

by activating the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and reducing
activity in the amygdala.
 Stage Fright
‐ In 2017, Ashwin Kamath et.al,, Manipal University
‐ Studied stage fright before a public speaking engagement
‐ Participants were medical students, they spent 15 minutes
doing alternate nostril breathing
‐ Compared with members of the control group, participants
experienced somewhat less stress when speaking publicly
 INSOMIA
‐ In 2012 Suzanne M. Bertisch et. al, Harvard Medical School,
reported based on survey data, that more than 20% of
American insomiacs do breathing exercises to sleep better
‐ In 2015 Cheryl Yang et. al, National Yang-Ming University,
showed that 20 mins of slow breathing exercises before
going to bed significantly improves sleep
‐ The investigators attributed the results both to the calming
mediated by the parasympathetic system and to the relaxing
effect of focused breathing
 Chronic anxiety
‐ In 2015, Stefania Doria et. al, Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico
Hospital in Italy
‐ Offered 10 training sessions of two hours each, to 69
patients with anxiety or depressive disorder
‐ Training included a varied set of breathing techniques
combined with some yoga stretches
‐ Significant decrease in symptoms at the end of the
protocol
 ★ Diaphragmatic Breathing
★ 4-7-8 Breathing
★ Joshin Kokyu Ho breathing
Different Breathing Exercises ★ Queiting Response
★ Nadi Shodhana
★ Tactical Breathing or Box
breathing
★ Kapalabhati Breathing
 Diaphragmatic Breathing
★ This is the type of breath you want to focus on when doing any
breathing exercise to stimulate the relaxation response.
★ Nailing this type of breathing in its basic form will help you
benefit more from the specific breathing patterns.
★ The key is to think about breathing deeply into your belly and
not just taking shallow breaths in your chest.
● Sit, stand, or lie down comfortably.
● Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach.
● Breathe in through your nose for 3-5 seconds, feeling your
stomach rise. The hand on your chest should stay relatively still.
● Breathe out through your mouth if you can for 3-5 seconds,
feeling your stomach fall.
● Continue this breathing pattern until you feel relaxed. Or use it
with one of the more intricate breathing techniques below.
 4-7-8 Breathing
★ Developed by Andrew Weil, MD., an integrative medicine expert
★ The goal here is to breathe consciously, slowly, and deeply.
★ The numbers tell you what to do:
○ Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and
exhale for 8 seconds.
● Sit up comfortably with your spine straight.
● Place the tip of your tongue just behind your upper front teeth
gums.
● Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
● Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose for four
seconds.
● Hold your breath for seven seconds.
● Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound,
for eight seconds.
● Repeat this pattern three more times for a total of four breaths.
 Joshin Kokyu Ho breathing
★ Suggested by Parita Shah, a Reiki practitioner and energy
healer
★ This fundamental practice in the Reiki tradition thought to help
build vitality and concentration.
★ Approximately 15 minutes each day
● Sit comfortably, bring your palms to prayer position, and set any
intention you have for the practice.
● Let your palms rest on your thighs, and keep your spine straight and
chest open.
● Inhale through your nose and mentally follow your breath as it travels
through your nose, chest, and down to the Hara (known as the body’s
center of energy) just below the belly button.
● Hold the breath as you observe your body and mind.
● Exhale, as you think about this energy of life expanding in your entire
body and sending it out into your surroundings.
● Continue this for about 15 minutes.
 Queiting Response
★ Recommended by The American Institute of Stress
★ A visualization and deep breathing technique to counter a
powerful stress response.
★ The whole thing only takes six seconds and is more of an
on-demand stress relief tactic versus something you should
practice every day.
● Start by “smiling inwardly” with your eyes and mouth and
releasing the tension in your shoulders.
● Imagine holes in the soles of your feet. Take a deep breath in and
visualize hot air flowing through these holes moving slowly up
your legs, through your abdomen, and filling your lungs.
● Relax each muscle as the hot air moves through them up your
body.
● Exhale and reverse the visualization, so the air goes back and
comes out through your feet.
● Repeat this whenever you need to instantly feel relaxed.
 Nadi Shodhana
★ Often called “nostril breathing”
★ It is traditionally used to oxygenate the body and rejuvenate the
nervous system.
★ Benefits with as little as one to three minutes each day.
● Sit comfortably with your spine lengthened and your left palm
resting on your left thigh.
● Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through
your left nostril for 4 seconds.
● Close both nostrils and hold your breath for 4 seconds.
● Open your left nostril and exhale for 4 seconds.
● Close your left nostril with your ring finger and inhale through your
right nostril for 4 seconds.
● Close both nostrils and hold your breath for 4 seconds.
● Open your right nostril and exhale for 4 seconds.
● Repeat this cycle three or more times until you feel calm.
 Tactical Breathing or Box breathing
★ Used by the military to help members calm down in very
stressful situations.
★ It’s is also a great tactic to help stop a panic attack.

● Breathe in for 4 seconds.

● Stop and hold your breath for 4 seconds.
● Exhale for 4 seconds.
● Repeat this pattern three to five times.
 Kapalabhati Breathing
★ A steady repetition of forceful exhalations carried out in
different strokes and the inhalations are passively done.
★ This practice is said to shine the skull by cleansing the
respiratory passages and the sinuses.
★ It also helps to warm the body, detox the brain and relaxes the
cells by increasing the oxygen supply to them.
● Each exhalation is done along with a powerful thrust of the
abdomen.
● After the inward thrust the abdomen is then relaxed and the
breath flows back to the lungs passively.
● Each deep active inhalations are followed by many such strokes
of exhalations and the entire process is counted as one
breathing.
● In between each such cycles a normal deep breathing is done.
 References
Brandmeyer, T., & Delorme, A. (2021). Meditation and the Wandering Mind: A Theoretical Framework of Underlying
Neurocognitive Mechanisms. Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological
Science, 16(1), 39–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620917340

Brown, S. (2015). Stress Management. ACSM Fit Society Page, 17(1), 2–3

Dick, T. E., Dutschmann, M., Feldman, J. L., Fong, A. Y., Hülsmann, S., Morris, K. M., Ramirez, J. M., Smith, J. C., &
Respiratory Neurobiology Consortium (2018). Facts and challenges in respiratory neurobiology. Respiratory
physiology & neurobiology, 258, 104–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2015.01.014

Rajmohan, V., & Mohandas, E. (2007). The limbic system. Indian journal of psychiatry, 49(2), 132–139.
https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.33264

https://services.unimelb.edu.au/counsel/resources/guided-exercises/autogenic-training

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-brings-better-health/?fbclid=IwAR29k0z2D7EXnvFbdo
529NgQr2yJ-NQDw_NFsOOQ7_s2v8Dd-jaVoU-jQak

https://www.thehealthy.com/mental-health/breathing-exercises-for-anxiety/
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