In my profession I meet many people who experience pain from various triggers, and one piece of homework I give to 99 per cent of them: breathing.
Our breath is one of our most powerful tools, physically, physiologically and even mentally. To understand why breath can be so effective for pain, we first have to understand the common reasons behind pain.
Pain, at a basic level, is our body’s way of getting our attention and flagging a potential threat to our survival. With this definition, pain can be triggered by something quite obvious like stubbing your toe or spraining your ankle. It can also be triggered by stress, environmental changes or be a sign of underlying physical disease in some cases. It has a lot to do with how our nervous system interprets our environments, internally and externally. This is where our breath can come in as a support. Breathing can help us connect into and regulate our nervous system’s perspective, and when used consciously, can help settle the sensation of pain.
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The tricky thing about pain is that even if we’ve cleared out emergency reasons for it occurring, and on some level know that it is temporary, the discomfort that comes with it can still be overwhelming.
Pain, unfortunately, is often a fact of life. Especially on the farm! While pain should never be ignored, (and if it persists, please seek medical attention), here are some simple and effective breathing techniques to try the next time you feel fixated on a symptom like pain.
Try inhaling through the nose, and exhaling through the mouth for these exercises.
The first step in utilizing the breath is building your awareness of it. I like what’s called a “coherent” breath for most cases. To do this, practise a five-second inhale, followed by a five-second exhale. Repeat this for 30 seconds to a few minutes at a time. If possible, try to breathe fully into the bottom half of your rib cage, expanding into your mid-body and lower belly as much as you can on the inhales, and fully releasing all the air on the exhale each time. If five seconds feels too challenging at first, start with three or four seconds and build up.
In general, focusing on exhales can help regulate the nervous system to a more relaxed and settled state. This will assist in toning down the sensation of pain in many cases.
Try this: inhales for five or so seconds, and exhales for eight or so seconds with a small pause before your next inhale. Repeat for a minute or so, or about 20 cycles. This is my go-to technique for migraines and generalized pain throughout the body, when there isn’t a reason to suspect an urgent need for medical attention. This method can also help falling asleep, anxiety or for focusing.
Studies have shown that a coherent breath, and an exhale-focused breath when practised consistently can help with sleep quality, blood pressure and heart-related conditions, stress-related conditions, digestion and pain of all sorts.
The key to building a skill set in the breath for lowering the reaction to symptoms like pain is to practise breathing mindfully, and regularly. Set a reminder on your phone to dedicate even just one minute a couple of times a day to focusing in on your breathing. You just might be amazed at what the results are over time!
