If you are recovering from injury, seeking better results from your workouts or keen to reduce stress, learning how to harness the power of your autonomic nervous system is a must.
The autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that automatically controls essential body functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, and temperature—without you having to think about it.
It is divided into two parts the ‘sympathetic nervous system’ and the ‘parasympathetic nervous system’.
The sympathetic nervous is commonly known as ‘fight or flight’ response and is activated in times of stress. Your body is not focussed on healing and recovery in this state.
Most of us spend too much time in fight or flight mode and would benefit greatly from increased activation of our parasympathetic nervous system, sometimes referred to as the ‘rest & digest system’.
Meet Your ‘Rest & Digest’ System
When activated, this calming response:
✅ Slows the heart rate
✅ Relaxes muscles
✅ Supports digestion
✅ Conserves energy
✅ Leads to a calm state of mind
✅ Promotes recovery
✅ Helps your body repair
Activate It With Your Breath:
There are various ways to activate your parasympathetic nervous system but the quickest, most effective and most readily available way is through your breath. Here’s how to do it.
Breathe in and out through your nose
Keep your breath low (your tummy should push out when your breathe in)
Slow your breathing rate down
Elongate the out breath - so you are breathing out for longer than you’re breathing in
This is a very simple exercise, but as you hopefully now understand, it has a profound effect. Breathing exercises like this are exactly what elite sports stars, entertainers and special forces operatives use in times of extreme stress. They use them because they are effective - and they will work for you too.
The more you practice, the better you’ll get—but you’ll start feeling the benefits right away.
Best,
Shane
P.S. Your body’s healing mechanisms and parasympathetic nervous system are more active when your are asleep. Many people find doing this breathing exercise helps them drop off to sleep more easily.