Spirit and breath The Latin word “ spiritos ” means many things , including “ energy ,” “ life force ” and “ breath .” While to some the English derivative of this word connotes a religious affiliation , the truth is that the word denotes being alive and “ aerobic ,” meaning “ in the presence of oxygen .” The word spiritual , in its most literal sense , refers to someone very connected to the process of breathing .
Breathing forms part of our autonomic nervous system , which includes our two systems of parasympathetic and sympathetic systems . While we normally do not focus on our breath during all conscious moments — we are highly developed species who do not need to do this — current research reveals the benefits from taking just one full minute per day invoking an ancient Eastern meditation technique to focus on conscious awareness of our breath has many benefits .
It is not coincidental , therefore , that even developers of the Apple Watch ® have implemented a normal reminder several times per day for us to pause and take deep breaths to enhance our overall wellbeing and productivity . In addition , conscious breathing has a plethora of other benefits , including : lowered heart rate , improved blood pressure ratios , assisting with depression and anxiety , and can even help sufferers of chronic pain , addiction , and tinnitus . Breathing can also mentally assist with improving our overall body awareness .
TRY THIS ! Sit tall so your lungs and spine are unrestricted . Alternatively , lie supine . Practice inhaling for a count of three and exhaling for a count of three , trying to match the rate of your inhalation to the rate of your exhalation . Make no judgements about success or difficulty ; merely try this for a minute . As you become more comfortable with this technique , try adding a number each day , so you inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of four . notice how quickly you feel the benefits !
Psyche Our “ psyche ” refers to our mind — the part of our brain that maintains consciousness , awareness , well-being and happiness . To be able to allow the millions of normal , stream-ofconsciousness thoughts that the brain processes each day , the brain needs repose — this comes from two sources . The first is sleep , which allows the brain to undergo what we now know in
“ The word spiritual , in its most literal sense , refers to someone very connected to the process of breathing .”
science is a purification system each time we sleep . Among operations that occur , the glymphatic system helps the brain recover and rids the brain of toxins . This process of sleep can be coined “ passive meditation .” However , sometimes we do not all sleep properly , adequately , and deeply enough for this to occur .
Enter the second source : meditation . Active meditation occurs when we focus on very little for a specific amount of time , which varies with practice . The overall purpose aims at reducing the stream-of-consciousness thoughts that flood the brain down to just one conscious thought per breath , called a “ mantra .” Usually this becomes a word or short series of words in any language . In short , the ultimate goal of meditation is not to control our thoughts as much as it is about keeping our thoughts from controlling us . When we focus on just one thought , the brain quickly rests and recovers .
Spending as little as one minute per day meditating can help us be more productive when we are awake . This includes more than just being physically present at work during waking hours . Productivity also includes helping the body achieve its goal at any particular task , so even promoting a deeper sleep and more restful repose becomes a purpose of meditation .
MRI scans taken after an eight-week course of mindfulness practice show a shrinking of the amygdala , the brain ’ s “ fight or flight ” center . As the amygdala shrinks , the pre-frontal cortex –
January / February 2018 ■ PULSE 29