Breathe by Fabian Moller (thank you!)
There I sat, quietly reflecting.
I noticed something: my own breathing.
And, as I am wont to do, asked, “does breathing give humans hope?”
I contend that while breathing is an autonomic function, people can draw hope from it.
Every breath proves that you are still alive and haven’t run out of chances to try again.
In yogic philosophy, breath and mind are linked: calm, steady breath produces a calm, steady mind, and vice versa. When something feels unbearable, some slow deep breathes (in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6) can actually shift your nervous system into a calm place that allows you to see your way forward.
Everyone who has made it through something that is hard, has done or is doing what you are now doing. The proof, in the depths of your body, is that a struggle can be done because many people who are not different from you have done so.
As I referenced Eckart Tolle in another post, the power of the now allows you to show up and be in the moment. Breathing is the only thing that is always right now.
Thoughts are the truest form of hope but breathing clears the physiological noise that make it difficult to feel hope. Simply put, breathing can remove things that block hope.
It tells you that the person you are watching is still alive.
If they are sleeping and you are watching them, you can see their chest raising and falling with each inhale and exhale.
I remember watching my own children sleeping and watching them breath. It gave me comfort and hope knowing that sleep is a time when the renewal and growth of the body is happening.
Research has shown that when people are near one another they can synchronize their breathing. So if someone is breathing calmly, it can pull your own breathing towards theirs, and create a calmness and hope in you.
Coan et al. found that holding the hand of someone you’re close to, especially under stress or pain, synchronizes breathing, heart rate, and even brainwave patterns between the two people. That synchrony tracks with real pain relief.
Separate studies have shown that newborns, through skin-to-skin contact with a parent, stabilize their breathing and heart rate, leading to comfort and hope.
When did you become more hopeful due to breathing? Place it in the chat.
Sources:
Shared breath of joy enhances empathy through breathing synchronization
Brain-to-brain coupling during handholding is associated with pain reduction (PNAS)
Touch and social support influence interpersonal synchrony and pain
The Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Infant Vital Signs: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
And if today’s dose was useful, share it with someone who could use some hope.
Most people wait for life to feel lighter before they feel hopeful again.
This was built for the days when it doesn’t.
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