Take a Deep Breath
The Heart’s greatest expression is one of love and joy. the heart is where we feel our deepest love and Our most profound passion. In Chinese medicine the heart is the resident of the sheng or spirit. To house the spirit you need good blood . The point of breathing deeply is to nourish the blood.
Cardiovascular disease is epidemic in our society. Poor diet, reduced physical activity, poor fat metabolism, metabolic changes and many other disease processes can negatively affect the heart. In the study the study of Cardiovascular disease they do not really mention the importance of the breath and its function on the healthy heart.
Our industrial society leaves us in a state of chronic stress which has the reaction of depressed breathing. When we experience fear, apprehension and anxiety it causes the front of the body to contract. Its also known as the red light reflex by some somatic therapists. When the muscles in our abdomen become tight, our diaphragms become rigid and we shallow breathe . This has a profound effect on the heart. The heart and the lungs work synergistically with each other and they therefore should be considered together.
If one is not affected by stress and is enjoying deep diaphragmatic breathing it affects the heart in these ways:
!. Decreased heart rate, 2.decreased cardiac output, 3. reduced blood pressure, 4.the cardiovascular system is favorably affected by the relaxation of the nervous system and lastly 5. the regulation of the heartbeat by the correct respiratory sinus flow.
It has been found that people who have chronic heart disease are chronic upper chest breathers. So many of us hyperventilate with small shallow breathing.
Because our modern technological society keeps us in the state of sympathetic nervous system overload we tend to be shallow breathers. So be a sweet heart to yourself and relax your belly and relax your diapragm and breath nice deep breaths. Do this many times a day. You will feel more relaxed, invigorated and your heart will be way healthier.