The body has two nervous systems. The first is the motor system of nerves which you use daily to move your body with conscious effort. The second is the autonomic system of nerves which you use for activities that are more “automatic”. This system has two different types – one called sympathetic and the other parasympathetic.

Most people have heard of the sympathetic nervous system as the “fight or flight” response system. The classic example is of a person being confronted by a major event, usually frightening, like being face to face with a lion. This would quickly evoke a response that is automatic from your autonomic nervous system. You would move to “fight or flight” mode. Your body would prep for this in many ways: your heart rate and blood pressure would rise, you would become very alert and ready to run as fast as you can to remove yourself from this danger (or perhaps if you were someone like Tarzan you would entertain the thought of fighting the lion). However, lions don’t confront us daily outside of the zoo or a Safari trip, but other things cause this response daily in most of us. It could be a traffic jam on your way somewhere, an exam that you want to do well on, a sporting event or game where you hope to perform well, a concert you are giving, or the thought of a new boyfriend or girlfriend making your heart race. These are all daily examples of the sympathetic nervous system at work.

The opposite system is your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the relaxing system that lets your body work at its best – it lets your gut work to digest food, lets your bowels move appropriately, lets your heart rate and blood pressure lower, and lets you sleep easily. Most of these responses are automatic, but you can influence your body easily and shift the balance of the nervous state from the sympathetic excited state to the relaxed state by using your breathing. This is the one place that usually is automatically operating – you are not thinking about every breath that you are taking. But if you want to, you can control your breathing pattern and rate very easily. Doing the following relaxed breathing pattern twice daily is easy to learn and extremely helpful to relax the body. Plus, it can help all your body functions improve.

These practices may have been recommended to you for a number of reasons, most commonly in pulmonary it is used to help decrease symptoms from asthma or vocal cord dysfunction. All the benefits from doing this routinely will happen with regular practice. This simple skill will keep your blood pressure lower, help you sleep better, lower your skin temperature, and, most importantly, help you relax.

It does not take very long to do, but will change your nervous system balance slowly over time. For some people effects are clear in a few weeks, for others it takes months. It always helps, but the key is regular practice.

If you find it hard to concentrate and keep your pattern there are devices and computer programs to help you. These are expensive and are not necessary for most people. The RESP-E-RATE is an FDA approved device retailing for about $250.00. It is marketed to lower blood pressure, but works well for the above. It includes a small hand held monitor and a belt to place around your chest/belly so it knows when you are breathing in and out. It is easy to use and helps you to breathe regularly and once you are doing so it slows your pattern down gradually. You hold the device and watch a small window with a display of your breathing pattern. Computer programs are also available and we can give you more information as needed. You can also find this equipment online, often at discounted rates.

Have fun practicing!

Your BAPP team