Want to calm down? Drop your attention out of your head and into your heart. Picture yourself breathing through your heart, and then begin to slow your breathing down even more. It only takes a minute to reset to coherence, which means all your systems line up and work in harmony.
Science has discovered that emotions such as frustration, irritation, impatience, anger, and worry disrupt our system, inhibit brain function, and impair our performance. Conversely, emotions such as appreciation, calmness, patience, and confidence promote optimal performance by creating coherence.
Why does heart-centered breathing work?
We’ve known for years that the heart and brain constantly communicate. More recently, scientists have discovered the heart sends 5-10 times the number of messages to the brain than the brain sends to the heart.
Heart rhythms directly affect the brain centers involved in foresight, decision-making, social awareness, and our ability to self-regulate. Our cortex (the front part of our brain) does the thinking. But, it can only do that when the thalamus tells it to do so, because the thalamus is the command center and synchronizes all the cortical activity.
When we focus on our heart, it changes what is happening with both the sympathetic (our gas pedal) and the parasympathetic (our brake) nervous systems. When we are incoherent, they work against each other. By bringing our attention to the heart, these systems synchronize and begin working together. This harmony changes and unlocks the brain in a beneficial way.
The next time you feel out of sorts (incoherent), center your attention on your heart and begin to breathe yourself into coherence. It works.