Self-care Tool kit - #4 Breathe
The charm of meditation for me has been hit and miss and I find breathing techniques seem to work better for me---------they give instant and tangible relief. First up I tried the hip trend of Wim Hof method exercises and breathing. A year previous and before I started regular practice with Wim Hof, I experimented with it after my brother suggested I give it a try. As with something new, I’m always intrigued and will give it a go. As Mr. Hoff is prone to do, he wrapped a bit of mystery around this method and the physical sensations it induces while making it clear not to drive machinery while practicing etc. Well, the first time I tried it was on the way home from work and yes, driving my car! I remember it well as I noticed the sign to welcome me to my home town, just before I passed out. Don’t tell me I can’t do something. I’m pulling your hair off course; I didn’t pass out but I noticed becoming light headed and my arms started to tingle and I thought wow, this boy is telling the truth and did the right thing and reverted to my normal breathing before something strange did happen.
I tried it once or twice after that but dropped the practice for some reason until October 2020. A friend of mine started to dabble with the method and as we know, having a partner in action helps motivate you and from that point on I dropped into regular practice and discussion of our progress. Very quickly I found something that really worked, giving me that instant hit to relax or relieve tightness and stress build up in the body. It's quite addictive producing physical sensations such as tingling in the arms, hands or feet, light-headedness and sometimes it feels like numbness with extreme pins and needles and can result in cold hands and feet. Then the relaxation follows and your entire physiology winds down to a serene calm state. I guess it's akin to the habit of smoking, where you feel the immediate effects of the nicotine hit, but with Breathing it's a good habit and healthy to boot, I think? Well, that’s what they say, until someone says it's not.
When I have sat and worked for too long, feeling just a little off kilter or have a plain old headache, the Wim Hof breathing easily and quickly reset my system. However, when I re-started the practice consistently, instead of reading up on the “how to” instructions again, I thought I could remember from over a year back, however I confused the instructions. So instead of exhaling fully and holding my breath for as long as I could, I inhaled and held my breath with all the air in my lungs. So basically, I did it backwards. I did this for a while until one day I felt the pressure build so much from holding my breath with full lungs for too long that I think I induced tinnitus or else it was just a coincidence I started to hear noises and it was my time to catch the symptom. My Dad has tinnitus and so does my son so it looks like I was destined to be inflicted too and I can only surmise this wrong implementation kicked it off.
After that, even if I performed the exercise correctly my tinnitus would worsen. It wasn’t comfortable and so with great regret I stopped Wim Hof breathing.
But all was not lost and I turned to “box breathing” instead. This method I believe is used by elite soldiers when stuck in difficult emotional situations and they need to calm their minds and body to continue on mission. It’s quite straight forward, breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds and hold your breath again for four seconds, then repeat the sequence for a few minutes. I find if I extend the out breath a few more seconds I get a greater sense of relaxation from it. This is my go-to breathing exercise when I need a break from working, if I wake up in the middle of the night and start to obsess about something or other or have a bad dream. Not only does it relax your body but it calms the chatter in your mind too as you have to be curious to focus on the counting and breathing. Leaving little room for other thoughts to drop in as the door to them is locked tight giving you that moment of recess and reset time. As for Wim Hof I will let you search up on the required technique for fear I steer you with the wrong steps. But please do try some breathing techniques and see if it can work for you. I use an app called “Breathing” for a timed box breathing session and you can download free from any of the smartphone play stores.
