Slowing down your breathing is one of the most important things you can do to positively affect your physical and emotional health. It’s amazing that we can influence our biology so profoundly with something that’s free … as well as, side-effect free.
Slowing down your breathing activates the healing wisdom of your body, while inhibiting the stress response. The Heart Rate Variability measurement, that rates the balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), improves most consistently as breathing slows down.
So a child, or an adult can learn to slow down their breathing to relieve anxiety, help with sleep, improve faulty digestion, increase circulation, or to bring more clarity to a clouded mind. Since the ANS controls most bodily functions, improving ANS function can potentially change anything.
A daily practice session, or two, where you remind yourself to breath from your belly … slowly … will over time become more and more automatic … as will the healing benefits. You can use the HeartMath Quick Coherence guide for an easy reference.
Specifically, on step two of the guide, you can explore slowing your breath down to about five to six breaths a minute for best results. If this is too slow for you to do comfortably at the start, just slow down to a rate that is comfortable for now.
Dr. Templin offers online courses and consultations, and sees patients personally in his office in Lakeland, Florida. You can learn more about his course Bio-Energetic Focusing: A Revolutionary Medical Model for Self-Healing! here.
Steven Templin, D.O.M., Dipl. Ac., is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, specializing in MindBody Medicine. He is a certified META-Medicine Health Coach and nationally certified acupuncturist. He shares the underlying science and more importantly, the practical tools for resolving the unconscious energetic and emotional roots of illness. In his online course Bio-Energetic Focusing: A Revolutionary Medical Model for Self-Healing! he provides training in Self-Regulation skills, that include Bio-Energetic Focusing, HeartMath and Energy Psychology techniques, Energy Medicine modalities, and Gastrointestinal repair for enhanced immunity, mood, and mental clarity. Dr. Templin is in private practice in Lakeland, Florida, at the Natural Medicine Center of Lakeland.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in the fields of Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback. 