Free The Tibetan Yoga of Breath: Breathing Practices for Healing the Body and Cultivating Wisdom by Anyen Rinpoche, Allison Choying Zangmo Page B

(excitatory) nervous system at a low level. This means that for many of us, being stressed out is the ordinary way of being. Even when there is no actual or perceived stress, simply because of our breathing habits, our sympathetic nervous system is overactivated. Not only that, but because our HRV is low when we suffer from depression and anxiety, our parasympathetic nervous system is underaroused. Our body is unable to counter this excited state and calm itself down.
    The parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated by slow breathing and prolonged exhalation, 19 such as when we engage in wind energy training. Shallow breathing through the mouth into the chest leads to shorter exhalations, as the volume of air is moved quickly in and out of the lungs. However, when we breathe through the nostrils and into the abdomen, not only do we breathe less frequently but our exhalations are prolonged. What this means is that abdominal nose-breathing not only makes more oxygen available to our bodies in a more efficient manner but it also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system less frequently.
    B REAKING THE C YCLE OF S TRESS
     
    Wind energy training helps us break the cycle of all stress-related disorders. As we purify and calm the wind-mind through engaging in focused daily practice, we are able to rebalance body and mind and release the mental, emotional, and physical effects of energetic stagnation. Working with the breath as we will learn to do in the chapters that follow helps us to bring the nervous system back into balance and increase our HRV. It brings us into elemental balance, and enables us to approach life with tolerance and acceptance.
    Here are some of the ways we can break the cycle of stress and anxiety in our lives:
    Cultivate discipline and routine. Routine helps to bring calm and stability to our mind and emotions. This feeling of stability reduces our stress levels. We might develop a daily routine that includes wind energy training and yoga practice. Our routine might include waking up at a consistent time, having set mealtimes, leaving and returning home from work on a schedule, and practicing wind energy training at a certain time each day. We need not give up all of our choices and restrict all of our activities, but we can find a balance between routine and spontaneity if we make a schedule for certain, important things we do each day. Keeping a daily schedule makes it easier to not get caught in cycles of unhealthy or stagnant energy because we keep ourselves in motion doing things that we know keep us healthy and balanced.
    Exercise regularly. Movement, ordinary exercise, and especially yoga help keep body and mind healthy. Along with any extreme state of mind comes the feeling of being stuck in a particular kind of energy. When we engage inphysical movement, the basis of the stagnation is dispersed, and our emotional state changes. It is especially beneficial to work with a sacred movement system such as yoga, which is designed to work with the channels and to balance the wind energy. Even if we just do a simple form of exercise such as running, the movement of the body causes the energy of the bodily channels to move. As the channels move, the movement causes the channels to relax and soften. As a result, the wind-mind becomes unstuck and is able to move more freely. In the next chapter, we will learn about the physical aspects of wind energy training, which we can incorporate into our daily routine.
    Pay attention to basic needs such as diet and sleep. The Buddhist teachings, as well as medical science, point out how eating and sleeping patterns contribute to imbalanced states of mind. Eating and sleep routines are uniquely tied to our mental outlook. For example, when we have low energy or are emotionally upset, we often eat too much. This can be related to wanting to feel full or feel physically comforted by food. When we eat too much, we often feel heavy and unhealthy, and as a result, this can