3 Benefits to Coherent Breathing
Coherent breathing is an extremely simple breath technique and one that you can keep in your back pocket to use at any time. It's a good one to pick up if you're feeling stressed or anxious and need some immediate relief.
Three Benefits to Coherent Breathing
It’s a very calming breath.
It increases Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
It’s proven to help with sleep.
Coherent breathing is a practice in which you work towards breathing at an even rate of six counts in and six counts out which equates to five full cycles of breath a minute. Breathing at this rate has a nourishing effect on our physiology, so much so that this type of breath is considered by some to be in the 'therapeutic zone’. Research has shown that coherent breathing helps a range of conditions from insomnia to anxiety. What's fantastic about this breath is that it's so easy to do: there's nothing elaborate or fancy that you need to remember.
One of the main benefits of coherent breathing is that it increases heart rate variability (HRV). This is the measurement of the balance in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system. Regular practice of this technique can increase the flexibility of the autonomic nervous system and its relationship to the heart, meaning that the heart beats more steadily with more resilience. It’s also hugely beneficial for quelling the (natural) stress response that comes up in everyday life.
This breath is all about timing and the count of the breath. You keep it very natural, without forcing, but you’ll working yourself towards a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale which should be five full breaths over the course of a minute. I’ve created a short guide for you to find your own rhythm with this which you can get at the link below.
Everyone has a different rhythm that they breathe at: some of you may breathe a rate of 9 breaths per minute, some of you might be a lot slower and breathe at a rate of 5 breaths per minute. This worksheet will help you figure out what your rate is so then you can start to work towards the therapeutic zone mentioned above.