Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘rhythmic breathing’

Take A Breath

Posted by terrepruitt on February 24, 2025

I’ve posted about breathing before. The one about breathing being a good thing, how we shouldn’t hold our breath and it mentions “sounding” in Nia because breathing is important especially when you exercise so actually making a sound can assist with breathing. There are multiple posts about pranayama the breathing techniques/exercises that are the fourth limb of yoga.

A couple of years ago I saw a product I thought was cute so I ordered some for my students. They are called Calm Strips. I ordered one for box breathing, one that is an infinity loop, and one that is a rainbow. The idea is to use your finger to slide along the strip, giving you something physical to assist with the breathing and perhaps help to remind you of the inhale, hold, exhale.

I think sometimes we all need to take a breath. And sometimes we may want to do it as more of a practice, like pranayama. Another post I have about breathing references a small 2001 study about how Rhythmic Breathing may have both psychological and physiological benefits.

I was just sitting at my desk and saw the envelope with the Calm Strips in it and I thought I would share. The strips are actually stickers so you can attach them to things and have them available for when you may want to use one. But, of course a calm strip is not needed to take a breath and/or to have a breathing practice. You basically just need to remember to do it or do it when you think you need it.

Here is a picture of the infinity loop and rainbow strip. I gave all the “box breathing” ones away, but I have the little card that came with them.

Pranayama posts:

Equal Breath
Cool Breath
Three Part Breath
Ujjayi Breath

What about you?  Do you ever need to just take a deep breath?  Do you ever stop and just focus on your breathing?

 

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Rhythmic Breathing Health Helper

Posted by terrepruitt on September 11, 2019

I’ve written several posts about pranayama, the fourth limb of yoga, the practice or control (yama) of life force (prana), basically breathing techniques or exercises. I’ve posted about Dirgha or 3 Part Breath, Samavrtti or Equal Breath, Ujjayi or Victorious Breath/Ocean Breath, and Sitali or Cooling Breath. In those posts I have mentioned that I believe that all of us are familiar with the idea that you can take a breath to calm down or to slow down. I believe that most of us understand that a breath can do those things. Well, I am thinking there are other studies and papers out there that talk about how breath can help with physical changes, but I recently made note of very small study done in 2001 by a group of professors and physicians in Italy. Their report concluded that “Rhythm formulas that involve breathing at six breaths per minute induce favourable psychological and possibly physiological effects.”

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The report mentions reciting Ave Maria in Latin, yoga chants, or the rosary. These recitations caused a rhythmic breathing that equaled six breaths per minute. And 10 second breaths or six breaths per minute were the key to a consistent heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity.

A consistent heart rate variability can be a sign of good health as could baroreflex sensitivity. The heart rate variability/HRV is “a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat”1. The baroreflex is “(or baroreceptor reflex) is one of the body’s homeostatic mechanisms that helps to maintain blood pressure at nearly constant levels.”2

So, this is just another small confirmation that pranayamas can help counter the stress we all face every day.  The specific type of breathing that is consistent and rhythmic allowing for a ten second/6-breath-per-minute breath.  You could do a 4-1-4-1 Samavrtti type of pranayama, where you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 1, exhale for 4, and hold for one.  That would total 10 seconds.  Or you could do that same type of count with the Ujjayi breath.

The report just acts as a guide to possibly help one decide on a length of breath.  Just another tool to help us in our yoga practice or our daily lives.

Do you ever find yourself taking a calming breath?  Do you ever use breathing techniques?  Is pranayama part of your yoga practice?

1-https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789

2-https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroreflex

 

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