Health&Wellness Magazine May 2015 | Page 12

12 & May 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net | Like us @healthykentucky INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE Soft Belly Meditation THE BREATH IS AN IMPORTANT ALLY FOR BALANCING AND INTEGRATING MIND AND BODY. By John A. Patterson MD, MSPH, FAAFP, Mind Body Studio Our breath has the dual nature of being regulated by both voluntary and involuntary mechanisms. We really take the involuntary, automatic quality of the breath for granted. Thank goodness we don’t have to remember to breathe each breath. Breathing happens automatically while we are busy doing and thinking about other things, from physical activity to sleep. We usually think, “I am breathing,” but in a very real sense, we are being breathed by our own automatic, involuntary physiology. Unlike most involuntary body functions, we can also exert voluntary control over the breath, allowing us to whistle, blow out birthday candles – or stop a panic attack. Our breath, thoughts and emotions are deeply interconnected. Calm and peaceful thoughts and emotions are usually reflected in calm, peaceful breathing. Agitation, anxiety, fear, worry and panic are sometimes associated with irregular, rapid or shallow breathing. This can develop into a full-blown hyperventilation attack. Being able to slow down one’s breathing and breathe more deeply and regularly not only returns the breathing to Due to the interconnecte dness of thoughts, em otions and breathin g, we can intentionally and skillfully use the breat h to cultivate calmness and peacefulness. normal but also relieves some of the distressful thoughts and emotions that triggered the episode. The breath influences our thoughts and emotions. Our thoughts and emotions influence the breath. Due to the interconnectedness of thoughts, emotions and breathing, we can intentionally and skillfully use the breath to cultivate calmness and peacefulness. No wonder awareness of the breath is one of the world’s oldest forms of meditation and contemplative practice. Our breath, thoughts and emotions are deeply interconnected. Wherever we go, the breath is always with us. It is free. It doesn’t require special equipment to use the breath for meditation. There are many ways in which the breath is used in meditation. A particularly relaxing and simple meditative use of the breath is diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing, also known as “soft belly.” Most of us have little experience breathing with a soft abdomen as our society sends a message to both men and women that a big belly is undesirable. Yet a soft belly was our normal condition when we were babies and is also our normal condition as adults when we are calm, peaceful and rested. Here’s how to practice “soft belly” meditation: • Closing the eyes is recommended for more focused attention on the practice. You use less energy breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Breathing out through the mouth also seems to help soften the abdomen. • If the abdomen is soft, with each deep in-breath your lungs fill with air, your diaphragm moves down and your abdomen expands. With each out-breath, the lungs empty themselves of air, your diaphragm rises and your abdomen contracts. Breathing this way helps the lungs expand more fully, mobilizes the diaphragm and stimulates the vagus nerve, causing a shift of your nervous system from the stress-related, sympathetic, fightor-flight mode to the restorative, parasympathetic mode. Not everyone can easily soften the abdomen. It can help to place your hands over your abdomen and notice the movements described above. With a little practice, the hands are no longer needed as an aide. This practice improves expansion and oxygenation of the lungs and relaxes tense muscles all over your body. If you find it helpful,