The body is designed to handle stress without affecting our naturally strong immune system. Our system is built to constantly cleaning and renewing itself by cycle of breath. The inhalation is connected to sympathetic nervous system and conversely, the exhalation is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system.
The inhalation automatic trigger the flight or fight reaction, and when someone faces a threat, like seeing a sight of lion, you need sharp inhale for the blood pressure to rise to stimulate rising of energy level, ready for the body to burst into ready to fight or flight response. And when the “lion” is gone, the long exhalation will be back the trigger relaxation response.
The problem is, it is not uncommon for us to live in a state of nearly constant stress, all those unpaid bills, unanswered emails, possible recession, possible Covid infection, unsolved conflicts etc.
Let’s test: Count how many breath cycles (inhale and exhale) you do within one minute.
If you have more than 11 cycles of breath in 1 min, your system is already stressed.
Even when there is no “lion”, we are in a habit of feeling threatened and the circle of breathing is constantly triggered and research shows that when this happens, the parasympathetic system does not have a chance to take over and the consequence of the prolonged unnatural breathing pattern causing bad posture symptoms like aches and pain, high blood pressure, and most fearful of all, a weak immune system.
In order for the immune system to be healthy, the parasympathetic nervous system must be triggered so that the natural breathing cycle can complete itself.
The good news is, your posture and breathing patterns can be relearned and put into order again. It is not helpful to spend a lot of time sleeping now, but you should train to use the breath to relax.
Whenever you can remember, extend the length of your exhalation and soften the body parts from face to toes. Usually after two or three exhalation, there will be a shift in body chemistry and you will feel there is more time and space to deal with whatever ahead.
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