Understanding and harnessing the power of your breath is a game changer in managing stress.
Breathing is an automated bodily function. It comes naturally, just like your heartbeat and you likely don’t even notice how you’re breathing from moment to moment. But unlike the heart, we have control over our breathing and that is our invitation to take part in our nervous system function.
Learning how you can use your breath for stress management is a powerful tool for your team.
In business, we’re constantly considering how to manage stress – for ourselves and for those around us. Empowering your team to understand how to breathe is an investment in their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of your business; once they learn stress management techniques it’s a skill that they can utilise on a daily basis.
Our founder James’ techniques for how to manage stress through breath are based on years of research, fuelled by a desire to help his mother be well and his work at the highest level with Australian Olympic athletes. His methods are a combination of ancient breathing techniques and modern science adapted for stress management.
A breath coaching session with James condenses years of training and research into an easy to digest formula for stress-reduction success.
For you and your team, effective and ongoing breathing practices can help with in-the-moment stressors – like a difficult conversation or a traffic jam – and chronic, long-term stress – stress that can lead to depression, anxiety and even chronic illness.
The basics of breathing
Breathing keeps us alive. It allows us to absorb the oxygen we need to keep us moving. We breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.
This action is a joint effort between our lungs and our diaphragm.
The key to deep breathing – the kind of breathing that James teaches for stress management – is a strong and active diaphragm.
Deep diaphragmatic breathing promotes a calm, controlled nervous system and makes you feel in control and present. Poor breathing can fuel a panic attack and increase the stress someone is feeling.
How does stress affect our breathing and our bodies?
When you are stressed your heart races. Your breathing gets faster and shallower. Your nervous system enters fight or flight Mose and your ability to make decisions goes out the window.
All of these responses are caused when we feel threatened and our sympathetic nervous system is triggered.
These responses prepare us to respond to a threat by either running away from it or fighting it. Most of the stressors we face today – like traffic jams, relationship stress or work stress – do not need a fight or flight response.
Managing stress today needs a response that comes from a place of calm centeredness.
Enter our parasympathetic nervous system; the yin to our sympathetic nervous system’s yang.
The parasympathetic half of our nervous system controls our rest and relax response. You don’t want to shut down either side of your nervous system completely, in fact, much like yin and yang, you’re aiming for balance.
By consciously employing deep, deliberate breathing you’re telling your sympathetic nervous system to stand down and your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. Actively changing your breathing helps with managing stress. It’s that simple.
How does breath coaching help with stress management?
Our breathing coaching sessions teach you how to breathe deeply. They teach you how to consciously control when and how you are breathing. They teach you to relax your nervous system and remain in a state of calm, even if you may feel overwhelmed.
Our sessions teach you how to manage stress using the breath.
For your team, understanding the power of breath as a stress management technique will empower them to be calmer, more productive people.
James’ techniques are based in research that began when his mother was diagnosed with COPD. For the last fourteen years, James has been honing his techniques.
He’s combined extensive research – both his own and from other scientists; his Exercise Physiology knowledge; plus his years of experience and developed a suite of breath training techniques designed to provide long-term, effective stress management strategies.
Over 500 therapists across the world have adopted James’ approach on how to manage stress. He’s worked with the full gamut of high performing individuals – from Olympic athletes and Cirque du Soleil stars – and he’s ready to work with you and your team.
Get in touch to see how James can help your team breath better.
