Breathing Space

By Josh Burt

Want to know the secret to a calmer life? It’s easier than you think, says writer Josh Burt.

We can’t have all the world’s best life coaches, psychotherapists, career gurus and armies of personal assistants on tap to help us navigate stress, but if you want to calm your nerves, improve your sleep, boost your immune system and find peace and tranquility, you already have all the tools to get there. You just need to learn how to use them.

The roots of meditation can be traced back to 1500 BCE when it was part of Hinduism practice. Now seen as something more stylishly spiritual, the focus on stillness, breathing and reflecting is framed in a number of different ways, from simple breathwork to extreme forms of meditation.

“Certain breath patterns can transport you into that calm place where your heartbeat slows, your muscles relax and you can find focus,” says Jeremy Johnston of Do More Movement (domoremovement.co.uk). “They get you into your rest-and-digest nervous system and out of your fight-or-flight zone.”

Meditation and breathwork both rely on concentrating on your breath to relax, but where the ancient art of meditation seeks to clear your mind with deep
repetitive breathing, “breathwork” – which has a growing following among the big-hitting harbingers of health and fitness – appears designed to toughen you up to stress instead. To manufacture and overcome stressful situations with different breathing techniques.

And unlike the workforce of experts mentioned above, meditation and breathwork is cheap and easy to maintain, you can practice it anywhere and you genuinely feel the results. All you need is a few minutes each day and enough ambition to gently close your eyes and breathe. There’s no apparatus, no warm-up, no need to change your outfit or overhaul your personal brand. And it doesn’t matter if you’re not that good at it, it’s the doing it that counts.

“You won’t get the same response every time,” says Jeremy, “but the more you do it, the easier it is to get to that calm place.”

When you control your breathing, it’s tangible, it makes a difference that you can feel. If you’re nervous, deep breaths through your nose will lower your heart rate and blood pressure, they’ll loosen the knot in your stomach and help you to relax.

As you progress with breathwork exercises – whether it’s taking deep, hard breaths like a boxer psyching himself up before a fight, or holding your breath for an inordinate amount of time (I clocked just over two minutes once) – you can genuinely feel the effects on body and mood.“If you can control your breath in a non-dangerous but stressful situation, you can desensitise yourself to it,” says Jeremy. “Like getting used to cold showers.”

Easy does it

As for meditation, banish all those thoughts about having to sit cross-legged, concentrating on a fixed point for a punishing amount of time (unless you happen to find that comfortable). “Effortless Meditation is exactly what it says on the tin,” says Justin Somper. “Unlike more cognitive forms of meditation, in Effortless Meditation there is no need to try to control or manage your thoughts, emotions or physical sensations.

This makes it the optimal form of meditation for those of us with perpetually busy “monkey” minds.” Guided sessions encourage you to relax and listen to calming directions – maybe a head-to-toe body scan or a simple visualisation. There’s no pressure to stop your mind from wandering, it’s all about noticing when it happens.

“The key to the process is acknowledging the mind will roam away from the anchor,” says Justin. “Allowing this to happen releases so
much tension in comparison to other forms of meditation, where you are working so hard to (try to) manage the mind. In Effortless Meditation, It’s even fine for you to nod off for a while – and indeed your body may have some “sleep debt” to release.”

Need some help to get started?

Try one of these tried-and-tested resources and find your way to a calmer life.

Headspace (meditation)
Award-winning app, simple to use and with a wide variety of options to try from beginners’ guided meditation to meditation whilst running.

Wim Hof Method (breathwork)
The Wim Hof Method involves breathwork and cold-water therapy but many people are devotees and believe his techniques have alleviated depression and anxiety.

Into the Heart of Mindfulness by Ed Halliwell
Part memoir, this explores how giving up unhelpful habits enables us to live with uncertainty and feel happier.

Revive! End Exhaustion And Feel Great Again by Dr Frank Lipman
Dr Lipman’s practical advice uses Western and alternative ideas for reinvigorating your life and finding calm.

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