Water, Whisky & Coffee breathing

What if I told you there is an exercise so powerful it could make your body more acidic or alkaline in minutes

It could boost your digestion, lower your heart rate, lower your cortisol levels and help you go to sleep at night

This exercise is something you are doing now, but in an unconscious way. We are talking about breathing exercises, which when practiced properly and safely are one of the most powerful ways to control your mind and body, your nervous system, and your endocrine system. 

When we arrive into this world we took a deep breath in 

When we leave this world we exhale out our last breath 

Everything in between is often on auto-pilot! 

When we consciously choose how we breathe, we create our own power, separate to external circumstances/stimuli. 

Water breathing – always a good option, our “go to” at any time of day 

This can be done at any time in the day, helps you return to balance, just like a glass of water you can do anywhere without an additive 

Inhale to count of 4, then exhale to count of 4 and repeat over 10 breaths 

This is balanced breathing – can half your normal rate of breathing, helps to balance you and requires practice- just like carrying a water bottle, carry this practice with you. 

Whisky breathing– a little bit to relax, but not all the time. 

This is your response to stress. Primarily put me to sleep without alcohol or pills- home from work your head is buzzing you may be agitated, twitching, frustrated, anxious. May even apply at work if really stressed and feeling like you can’t think straight or aches and pains. 

Inhale to count of 4, hold to the count of 7, then exhale to the count of 8, and repeat 

After 10 rounds your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops and we stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system. Can stop at 10 rounds or keep going until you fall to sleep if that is what you are looking for eg: middle of night and cannot switch off to sleep. 

Coffee breathing – use sparingly 

3 x rounds of 20 first thing in the morning to get you going (like a good cup of coffee), 3 rounds of 20 right before exercise and 3 rounds of 20 mid-afternoon when you start to crash and normally you reach for a sugary snack 

No focus on the inhale, just the exhale  

Close eyes, body relaxed, shoulders relaxed 

Exhale to count of 20 then relax back to normal breathing 

Try to keep face still, body still 

Then repeat 3 times.

This stimulates your sympathetic nervous system when we need to be high functioning (not to be used always)