Spotlight: Why Your Breath-Brain-Body Connection Matters

When I started my career in musical theater in my late teens, I knew I was getting a late start compared to many other young actors hoping to succeed under the bright lights.

This made me highly motivated to learn as much as I could from a variety of disciplines and mentors in order to improve my performance skills in all areas.

I was already drawn to holistic approaches around diet and nutrition as these concepts felt fresh, new, innovative, and promising.

Of course, the more I read and studied, the more I discovered ancient wisdom traditions being highlighted, such as Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Ayurveda, Yoga, Tai Chi, martial arts, and many other modalities.

My journey into the human body deepened when I began regular yoga classes in New York City. In the first class I was taught my first breath technique. They called it “alternate nostril breathing” and I found it very calming and soothing -- though slightly awkward -- as it helped me release tension in my body as well as my mind and emotions.

Later I heard the yoga teacher use another term -- pranayama -- to describe a range of breath techniques provided through hatha and kundalini yoga classes and books to bring balance and peace to the body and new life to the soul.

Over the next few decades, more and more scientific research emerged to validate the widely reported experience of people who were finding deeper states of calm, balance, energy, and relaxation when practicing certain breath techniques.

Another parallel field of study, pioneered by Stanislav Grof with holotropic breathing, proposed that specific vigorous and intentional breath practices could help heal trauma.

I was involved in the development of the breakthrough heart-coherence breath techniques created at the HeartMath Institute in the early 1990s.

Over the past twenty years, and especially over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in breath techniques hitting the mainstream, from well-researched practices to overtly spiritual practices, some of which lack evidence but attract throngs of adherents nonetheless.

"Breath teachers" and breath influencers are becoming commonplace and popular books on Breath are hitting bestseller lists.

Why all the fuss?

Is it just part of our trendy culture that's addicted to the latest self-improvement technique, whether validated or not?

Well, yes and no.

Without doubt our contemporary culture loves to adopt trends that are fashionable and cool, and "breathwork" has definitely made that list.

However, trendy or not, there is compelling evidence that certain breath practices can be game-changers for any aspect of performance in our life, let alone our wellness, our health, our relationships, our work, and even our spiritual growth.

Through all the explorations of the impact of our breath on our heart, brain and body, the breath-brain-body connection has emerged as a vital area of focus to improve our physical, emotional, and mental health.

This connection encompasses various physiological and psychological domains, reflecting the interplay between respiration, cognitive functions, and emotional states.

Importance of the Breath-Brain-Body Connection

Here are five reasons why learning -- and practicing techniques -- to enhance the B-B-B connection is vital to your health and well-being.

1. Regulates Body Systems: Breathing patterns play a critical role in regulating the respiratory system, blood flow, heart rate, and the autonomic nervous system. These systems are integral to managing blood pressure, digestion, sexual arousal, and more.
2. Mental Health and Cognitive Abilities: Scientific studies are increasingly focusing on how breathing, especially slow breathing, impacts mental health and cognitive abilities. For instance, slow breathing can enhance brain function, aiding in memory, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making processes. Techniques for quick release of tension and anxiety are also drawing considerable attention.
3. Neurological Impact: Research shows that our breathing rhythms influence regions of the brain involved in cognition and emotion, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. This suggests a deeper neurological basis for the effects of breathing on our mental state.
4. Stress Management: Rapid breathing can trigger feelings like anxiety and fear, while focused, regulated breathing can reduce these stressful emotions. Adding a positive emotion -- such as gratitude or joy -- while practicing a regulated breathing technique can also counteract the biochemical impact of lingering negative emotions. This offers a potential tool for reducing stress and improving overall well-being.
5. Overall Health Benefits: Breath awareness and controlled breathing exercises have been found to improve lung function, reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance the quality of life in individuals with various health issues, including asthma.

Now I want to spotlight a system of breath and brain games that has captured my attention and become an essential part of my daily practice.

NeuroAcrobatics

For the past three years I have been practicing a powerful breath-brain-body system known as NeuroAcrobatics . Founded by biohacker and breath artist, Sage Rader, the system is described as "a practice of self-healing breath and brain games that only requires you to breathe consciously, listen to music and use your imagination".

Sage developed NeuroAcrobatics to help him recover from a series of debilitating health challenges and medical mistakes.

You could say he proved it in the trenches.

He then began teaching it to elite business leaders, top law firms, A-list celebrities, high performance athletes, and special forces personnel.

For myself, having studied and practiced -- and even taught -- various breath practices for more than 30 years, I have found the NeuroAcrobatics techniques to be eye-opening, transformative, quickly effective, and very positive for mood and brain performance.

One of the things that sets NeuroAcrobatics apart from other breath practices is its creative and innovative use of music.

Many breath techniques utilize "new age" or spatial music that, while relaxing, can sometimes be irritating or cause the listener to dissociate too much and become ungrounded.

This may not be effective if you want to bring a more balanced, focused and high performance state into your work.

The NeuroAcrobatics playlists feature very pleasant tracks using what is known as "lo-fi beats". Listening to these tracks make me feel like I'm relaxing in a lounge rather than claustrophobic in a meditation cave.

A universal comment from a recent NeuroAcrobatics program at a major law firm -- "love the tracks!"

Creating an enjoyable musical environment is a powerful key to creating sustainable behaviors with breath, brain and body.

Beyond the music is the profound simplicity and usefulness of the breath practices themselves.

I have found their value:

• While recovering from respiratory illnesses
• While preparing for a challenging meeting with a colleague
• While strategizing my work plans for a new year
• To increase energy, get deeper rest, and be more available to the task at hand, instead of stuck in a negative past experience or fretting over a future possibility.

I have recently become an advisor to NeuroAcrobatics and am happy to share my experience with you.

Interest around the breath-brain-body connection is growing. There is much yet to learn and bring into our lives as well as the lives of those we serve and care about.

B r e a t h e

DM me for more information on four-week long 1-1 and group sessions with NeuroAcrobatics for your organization or executive team.