Breathwork - In this series we will practice three types of breath work that help manage stress, promote relaxation and focus and regulate your breathing.
Pendulum Breathing
Pendulum breathing is a technique used to promote relaxation and improve breathing efficiency. It involves rhythmic, controlled breathing that mimics the swinging motion of a pendulum. Here's how you can practice it:
Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie in a comfortable position to relax and focus on your breathing.
Inhale: Slowly and deeply inhale through your nose for a count of four, allowing your abdomen to expand as you fill your lungs with air.
Pause: Hold your breath gently for a count of four.
Exhale: Slowly and completely exhale through your mouth for a count of four, allowing your abdomen to contract as you release all the air from your lungs.
Pause: Hold your breath gently for another count of four before starting the next inhale.
Repeat: Continue this cycle, maintaining the rhythmic pattern of four counts for each phase (inhale, pause, exhale, pause).
Pendulum breathing aims to create a smooth, continuous flow of breath, similar to the steady back-and-forth motion of a pendulum. This technique can help reduce stress, enhance focus, and improve respiratory function.
Triangle Breathing
Triangle breathing is a simple and effective way to promote relaxation and focus by regulating your breathing in a triangular pattern. Here's how to practice it:
Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie in a comfortable and relaxed position.
Inhale: Slowly and deeply inhale through your nose for a count of four.
Hold: Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale: Slowly and completely exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
Repeat: Continue this pattern, maintaining the same count for each phase (inhale, hold, exhale).
The name "triangle breathing" comes from the idea that each phase of the breath (inhalation, hold, exhalation) is of equal length, forming the three sides of a triangle. This technique helps to calm the mind, reduce stress, and improve concentration.
Square Breathing
Square breathing, also known as box breathing, is a simple and powerful technique to calm the mind and body by regulating breathing. Athletes, military personnel, and people often use it in high-stress environments to maintain focus and manage stress. Here’s how to practice it:
Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position where you can relax.
Inhale: Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of four.
Hold: Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale: Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
Hold: Hold your breath again for a count of four.
Repeat: Continue this pattern, maintaining the same count for each phase (inhale, hold, exhale, hold).
The name "square breathing" comes from the idea that each phase of the breath is of equal length, forming the four sides of a square. This technique helps to calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and enhance mental clarity and focus.
Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure
Resilience & Managing Stress - Putting yourself in an icebath is hard! As a result, you build resilience, grittiness and the ability to move through challenge. Through deliberate exposure to cold, you learn how to use your breath to manage your body’s stress response to stimulus. Building resilience in one area of your life bleeds into others, enabling you to do more hard stuff because you have proven to yourself that you’re capable.
Focus & Positive Mood - Norepinephrine and Dopamine are chemicals produced in the brain that help us focus and improve memory. Dopamine is also responsible for feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Both are stimulated with cold therapy. Using breathwork with the cold, trains our mind for deeper concentration and can improve your mood in the moments for for hours afterward.
Physical Performance & Recovery - Using ice baths enhances recovery by reducing inflammation. Long used by professionals athletes, cold immersion reduces the pain and swelling of inflammation and aids the body’s natural healing process.
Systema Breathwork & Cold Water Immersion
Many of you have noticed the cold tub I've recently introduced at the Club. Over the past month, I've been conducting experiments on the effects of cold water immersion on my training. The results have been promising, particularly regarding reduced inflammation and enhanced mental focus. Now, I'm excited to offer you an exclusive opportunity to deepen your Systema journey with a unique, 3-week series. This series, which combines specific breathwork techniques with cold water dips, is designed to expand your physical and mental capacity to manage stress.
The series will run on Wednesday evenings, August 14, 21, and 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Fight Club.
Each session will explore different aspects of Systema breathing to build body awareness, release tension, and increase resilience. This will be followed by a 2-3 minute cold dip. The tub is equipped with a chiller and filtration system to ensure clean water and a consistent cold temperature for each student for everyone.
My primary aim for this series is to guide you towards discovering deeper levels of relaxation under stress, which you can apply to all areas of your life: work, family, fitness, or sport. This series is a chance for you to take your Systema health and wellness training to the next level, and I'm here to support you every step of the way. Please join me by using the link below to sign up for this special offer.
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