Calming the Nervous System with Box Breathing

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Lead Guide: Linda

Opening song: Joy by Riopy

Featured poems/excerpts/breathing exercises:

Today’s practice was box breathing, also known as square breathing. It is a simple stress management practice that follows a particular rhythm. In this practice, we consciously lengthen the in-breath, the out-breath, and the pauses in between, so that each portion has the same number of counts. This sends a signal to the brain that impacts the parasympathetic branch of our nervous system, including the vagus nerve, calming the nervous system and slowing the heart rate. It can be practiced anytime, making it very accessible for calming the nervous system in heightened times of stress reaction. It enables you to recover from distress and not get hijacked by strong emotions

 

Studies on other diaphragmatic breathing techniques show a reduction in stress and blood pressure and likely support the box breathing practice. Because of its efficacy, box breathing has been adopted by the Navy SEALS, who also refer to it as tactical breath