100 Days of Wonder — Day 11
Breathe
We’ve all become a little more conscious of our breathing these days, haven’t we? Between the news of ventilators and aerosolization, to masks and sidewalk breathing etiquette, life in an age of a respiratory pandemic has made breathing both the hero and the bogeyman of our psyches. But of course breath is life, and in this case, it is also the answer to yesterday’s #100DaysOfWonder question: how do we snap out of autopilot and reconnect to our little internal ‘you are here’ arrow?
It sounds so trite — almost too easy — but not everything valuable and worth doing has to be hard. (There has got to be some huge life lesson nestled in that nugget as I seem to naturally seek the complicated and difficult when looking for advice — just me? no?? — but I digress.) So what it is about breathing, other than the obvious, that is so good for us? It turns out breathing isn’t just in our bodies, it’s in our heads too. Scientists found that even mice are more chill when they take slow rhythmic breaths, bolstering the anecdotal evidence that underpins everything from meditation to Lamaze, ancient pain management to a slew of breathing apps. (How many is a slew exactly? I lost count at number 73 on the app store. Note to self: don’t go into the breathing app business — the market is saturated.)
So how to breathe? Again, it doesn’t need to be complicated, but for those of you who are perfectionists, here are a few options:
The Pause
This is like ‘breathing for dummies’ level here. Basically, you take nice deep breaths, nothing too crazy that will make you hyperventilate, and simply notice the ‘pause’ at the top and bottom of each inhale and exhale. Don’t hold your breath per se, just notice that little moment of pause, and see if in that pause you can find the same pause inside your thoughts. If you do this three times, you’ll actually have twelve little micro steps towards focus.
4–7–8
Popularised by celebrity physician and natural health advocate Dr Andrew Weil, the 4–7–8 technique focuses on a very specific breathing pattern that goes something like this: empty your lungs; breathe in for 4 seconds; hold for 7 seconds; exhale ‘loudly making a whoosh sound’ for 8 seconds; repeat four times.
I’ll be honest that I am not a huge fan of this because it feels very forced. Also, not so keen on ‘loudly making whoosh sounds’ as I’m afraid my husband may think I’ve finally lost my mind from quarantine cabin fever. But it is a way to make clear your intention of paying attention to your breath, and some people swear by it.
Sing Danny Boy
By far, this is definitely my favourite. No app (or whooshing) required. It doesn’t have to be Danny Boy, but I choose that as it is one of the songs singers use when learning about breath control and phraseology. When learning to sing, learning how and where to breathe is critical, and getting to the end of a phrase without running out of breath is one of the reasons diaphragmatic breathing is so important for singers. Danny Boy is a great way to learn this as it has nice, languid, but not too long, phrases. (Baby Shark — less good.) Each phrase of Danny Boy takes about 9 seconds to sing. An added bonus is that singing has all manner of other benefits, Singing in a group (regrettably postponed for the time being) is the best, but solo singing still releases endorphins and oxytocin, and reduces cortisol and stress levels.
What does this all have to do with wonder? So much! Breathing helps us be more present and being present helps us tap into wonder. Music is one of the most powerful awe elicitors, making us feel like a smaller part of a bigger world. And, If when singing, you have a particularly pure tone and hit just the right note, you might actually hear an overtone, which is truly awe inducing. A trick of acoustics, an overtone produces a harmonic tone over (or under) the one you are singing, and it’s as if you are your own one-man chorus.
More on autopilot tomorrow. To close, enjoy this clip of throat singers from around the world for easily some of the most awe-inspiring way to use one’s breath. #GoInWonder
(I write on Medium about what moves me. Feel free to pop on over to HATCH for more workplace related content.)
