#85: Why Functional Breathing Matters to Your Rhythms

How does breath relate to your rhythms? Or to balancing the masculine and feminine energy that reside within you?

Your breath connects the world within you with the world around you, and breath work can be the tool you use to link your own rhythms and the world's rhythm so you live in flow instead of chaos.

Your breath invites a more balanced, mindful way of living. In today's episode I'll uncover the connection between breathwork and your energetic rhythms. 

You'll learn:

1. Why breathwork most certainly is related to your energetic rhythms
2. How breathwork is similar to tracking your rhythms and the rhythms around you
3. How breathwork can be a tool to use to your advantage during your cycle.

Today's talk could change how you perceive and interact with life's most natural process - breathing.  Breathing exercises can indeed help us slow down, cultivate mindfulness during chaos, and fill us up rather than drain us, just like tracking your Energetic Rhythms can do.

Breathing well, aka Functional Breathing, is breathing that optimizes the air exchange that takes place within your body.  Creating the right environment for this gas exchange to take place.  But in order to do that, one of the key elements of breathing well is actually to slow down your breath. And believe it or not using your body's natural rhythms and the rhythms around you involves that same element of slow. It's about creating a new baseline way of living. A more mindful approach to showing up in this world.

How you breathe is who you are as a person, so when you can slow your breath, your life naturally begins to slow down and feel less chaotic. Less rushed. Less busy all the time, even if it is full.  It seems to flow instead of fight the chaos that surrounds it.  Listen in to learn more.

Resources:
Get back into a routine this Fall and start tracking your rhythms as you do so - Daily Rhythms Tracker

Join me for a weekly virtual breathwork session - all sessions recorded, and you have access to all previously recorded sessions - Breathe to Flow Breathwork Class

How We Feel App (Android)
How We Feel App (iPhone)

Grab the full show notes and resources at www.cairnyogawellness.com/podcast85 and subscribe and listen wherever you catch your podcasts.


More Episodes Like This One:
#59: How You Breathe is Who You Are
#64: Yoga's Rhythm is Also Your Rhythm
#84: Harmony Within: Exploring the Body-Mind Bridge

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Join the Energetic Rhythms for Intentional Living community here.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I know I've been talking a lot about breathing
lately, at least on social mediaand in my emails, but how in
the world does your breathcorrelate to your rhythms, with
even balancing the masculine andfeminine energy that we have,
since that's kind of what we doaround here?
In today's episode, you'lllearn why breathwork most

(00:23):
certainly is related to yourenergetic rhythms, how
breathwork is similar totracking your rhythms and the
rhythms around you, and howbreathwork can be a tool to use
to your advantage during yourcycle.
Welcome to Help Harmony andHappiness with Kathy.

(00:49):
I'm your host, kathy Stricker.
I'm a state patrol wife, mamato three lively kiddos, a yoga
teacher, certified NLP coach andan energetic rhythms expert.
As an energetic rhythms coach,I help action taking women use
their body's rhythms and themoon's cycle to optimize
productivity and avoid burnoutwithout letting their desire to

(01:11):
remain in control alter theirfocus, and this podcast is all
about doing just that, andperhaps a bit more, so that you
can create your own path tohealth, harmony and happiness.
So come along with me and maythis episode serve as a nudge to
discover tools that could helpyou on your path towards more
intentional living.

(01:31):
Enjoy the show, hello friends,hello, hello, welcome to episode
85, why Functional BreathingMatters to your Rhythms.
I just wrapped up theintentional breathwork
simplified challenge and I'll beworking on updating that and

(01:53):
revamping it so that you cantake advantage of the info that
was in that course whenever youchoose.
In the meantime, if you haven'tyet downloaded and started
tracking your rhythms, now isthe time.
It's September and it's kind oflike a mini new year, I guess,
if you consider it that Kids aregoing back to school, things

(02:16):
are changing.
There's the change in theseason, so it's already a
natural shift.
But this is, lots of times, theplace where you can get the
momentum to just get some of thelast things done that you want
to accomplish for the year.
You can wrap things up as wemove into fall.
That is the energy of fall.
The energy of that rhythm isfinishing things, completing

(02:38):
things, celebrating things.
So use this as a nudge to maybeget back to getting in touch
with yourself, to rememberingyour own personal rhythms, so
that you can use them to finishthe year strong.
So how does breathwork actuallyfit in with tracking your own
personal rhythms?
Well, for one, knowing your ownpersonal rhythms and the

(03:00):
rhythms around you, like theseasons, the moon, all the other
things that have a rhythm givesyou a baseline, and to find
that baseline you first have tobegin to track it.
Same thing with your breath.
It's possible to track thenatural breathing rhythm that
you have fallen into, even ifthat breathing rhythm is not a
rhythm that is the most optimalfor your body.

(03:23):
We all have a baseline right.
There is a baseline to yournatural, innate rhythms.
There's also a baseline to whatthe seasons do.
We kind of know that summer isgoing to be hot.
We kind of know that fallthings are going to start to
cool off and we have a littlebit more patchy weather.

(03:44):
It may be hot, it may be coldand it just depends.
We know that winter isgenerally colder and that spring
things start to bloom and growand get warmer again, and that
is the natural rhythm that theseasons put out there.
Your body has those naturalrhythms as well, and your
menstrual cycle represents that.

(04:06):
But your body has rhythms inother ways too, not just your
menstrual cycle.
You have these other thingscalled ultradian rhythms, and
one of them is the rhythm ofyour breath.
It's beautiful because yourbreath is always with you and
you'll notice that when you getexcited about something.
When you get anxious aboutsomething, when you get worried

(04:28):
about something, your breathmight fall into a quicker rhythm
.
When you are calm, when you arerelaxed, when you are living in
a parasympathetic state, yourbreath is likely going to fall
into a more relaxed, slow rhythm.
And that's where we want to beliving all the time.

(04:48):
That's the baseline you ideallywant to be approaching life
from, because, even if you haveaction to be taking and things
to be done, if your regularbaseline is living in a place
where it's a little bit slower,things are calmer, your response
to those stressful things,those stressful situations, is

(05:11):
going to be a little bitdifferent.
You're going to be able toapproach them with a little bit
more ease and flow, and that'swhat we talk about around here
is flowing with life, even whenit's challenging.
So today I'm going to tell youall about why breath work is
related to your energeticrhythms, how breath work is
similar to tracking your rhythmsand the rhythms around you, and

(05:34):
how breath work can be a toolto use to your advantage during
your cycle.
Now, one of the key elements ofbreathing well, or functional
breathing, is actually to slowdown your breath If you can be
living in a little bit slowerstate.
Your response to the stresses,to the challenges of life is
going to be a little bitdifferent than if you're

(05:55):
constantly stimulated andaggravated.
And, believe it or not, usingyour body's natural rhythms and
the rhythms around you involvesthat same element of slow.
It's mindfulness.
It's about creating a newbaseline way of living, a more
mindful approach to showing upin this world.

(06:15):
You've heard me say before thathow you breathe is who you are
as a person, and when you canslow your breath, your life
naturally begins to slow downand feel less chaotic, less
rushed, less busy all the time.
Life can certainly be full, butit doesn't have to be or feel

(06:38):
busy all the time.
Those activities that make yourlife full, that maybe make your
life feel busy right now, canactually fill you up instead of
drain you.
We aren't trained or taught hownot to think, but breath is the

(06:58):
one tool we can use to do such athing, so that we are fully
present amongst the chaos thatsurrounds us, so that you can
simply be in this world insteadof doing all the time.
There's a place for doing.
There's also a place forreceiving and a place for being.
When you are being.

(07:20):
You might still be doing, butyou might also be receiving.
You're in that state of flow.
Are there times in your cyclewhen you feel like you need more
energy?
Guess what?
There are breathwork techniquesfor that.
Are there times in your cyclewhen you feel like you need to
calm your overactive mind orbody?

(07:40):
Well, there's breathworktechniques for that.
Breath ties everything together.
It can either energize or calm.
Breathwork has so much to dowith allowing the flow of energy
or Praana as we often call itin yoga your life force, energy
to move through your body.

(08:00):
Your breath determines whetherthat energy can move freely or
whether it gets stuck.
If you feel stuck in life, it'slikely that your breath is a
little off and perhaps slightlydysfunctional.
And I'm going to just tell youthere is no judgment from this
woman if your breath is a littleoff, because I lived for years

(08:21):
without optimizing my breathbefore I started to become more
aware of it, and then even moreyears until I started to
actually change the way Ibreathed off the yoga mat.
You see, it was quite a whilethat I just modified the way I
breathed when I was practicingyoga and I disregarded the rest
of the time in my life.

(08:42):
But when you start to payattention to how you breathe off
the mat, when you kind of makebreath the central part of how
you live your life, you realizethat it shifts the way you live
everything in your life.
When you control your breath,it's as though you are the
driver of your life, not thepassenger.

(09:03):
You get to decide how you wantto be or respond to the feelings
and energy you do have, ratherthan just enduring the times you
don't want to be feeling theway you are feeling or reacting
the way you might be reacting.
It's the same thing with usingyour rhythms.
When you know your body's cycle, when you know the rhythms

(09:23):
around you, you can use them tomake life easier, to begin to
flow with life and startsteering the boat rather than
letting the rapids take youwherever you can begin to see
the potential for trouble aheadand have a plan for how to get
through that trouble or goaround it.
With your breath.
You can do the same thing onlywith physically training your

(09:45):
body, mind, to live in a newbaseline state of calm, whether
that state of calm is energizedor relaxed, because, believe it
or not, you can be calm andstill energized and productive,
you can be relaxed and calm aswell, rather than constantly
living in a stimulated orstressed state, always

(10:06):
overthinking, feeling likethere's something more you need
to be doing, or rushing from onething to the next.
Your breath is the tool thatconnects you with your rhythms
and, indeed, influences your ownpersonal rhythms.
If your breath is shallow,quick or held, your body can't
function like it's supposed toand your cycle will start to
reflect it.
You may have more intenseperiods or premenstrual symptoms

(10:28):
, and when you do have thoseintense symptoms, your breath is
actually the thing that canhelp you lessen the effects of
them, which is a beautiful thing.
It can help you move throughthe discomfort with more ease,
as it has the ability to shiftperception and lessen pain,
depending on the type of breathwork that you're doing.
The right breath work can alsoup-regulate you when you need

(10:52):
energy during your cycle, or itcan down-regulate you when
you're feeling anxious orirritable during that fourth
phase of your cycle, that phaseright before your period, where
we lots of times start to havethose premenstrual symptoms.
Right, your breathing is arhythm of its own and often
because of chronicover-breathing as a result of

(11:13):
living with low levels ofunderlying stress.
Our bodies have becomeaccustomed to living with lower
levels of energy and evenfitness.
Much of the fatigue that weexperience in life is actually
due to over-breathing.
When you're taking in more airthan your body can actually use,
your body lowers its toleranceto carbon dioxide, making you

(11:33):
breathe even more, because yourbrain thinks it needs to get rid
of excess carbon dioxide inorder to regulate the pH of the
blood.
Stay with me here while I giveyou a little bit of a science
lesson.
Carbon dioxide is the triggerneeded in your system for the
hemoglobin in your bloodstreamto release oxygen into your

(11:53):
cells, tissues and organs, whichalso includes your brain.
If you are getting rid of morecarbon dioxide because you're
breathing more, you aren't ableto use it to help with that gas
exchange that is necessary tofully oxygenate your system.
Your rhythm of breathingbecomes faster and more shallow
usually, which impacts the airthat you're taking in from

(12:16):
reaching the lowest levels ofyour lungs, where the gas
exchange actually takes place.
So if you are breathing more,you're limiting your access to
this critical gas, which in turn, will make you feel less
energetic and more tired, whichhas an impact on your overall
wellness and fitness levels.
So if your rhythm of breathingis too fast, if it is too deep,

(12:43):
or you find yourself sighing oryawning or taking big breaths
quite a lot, it's likely thatyour breathing is a little bit
dysfunctional.
But it all can be fixed andthat's the beautiful thing.
You can begin to breathe slower.
You can begin to breathe lessair, actually, so that pH of
your blood stays more in balanceand you have more carbon

(13:07):
dioxide in your system, so thatthe hemoglobin can release more
oxygen into your system.
That's your science lesson forthe day.
The rhythm you get used to byover breathing is low energy,
high stress instead of optimalenergy, moderate to low stress,
which is possible with makingchanges in the way that you

(13:29):
breathe.
Breath creates channels foryour energy to move freely, for
you to clear things out and letgo, for you to soften and relax,
even in stressful times.
So, indeed, breath is theconnector of the world within
you and the world around you.
It's the indicator of how youare processing the world around

(13:52):
you, and when you slow down topay attention to it and use it
consciously, you begin to livein a state of flow instead of
chaos.
All of that being said, I amoffering a breathwork class this
month and it started yesterday,so it happens on Wednesdays at

(14:14):
one o'clock central time.
It's four weeks with thepotential to be ongoing, but for
now we're just doing it as aone month thing.
You're probably thinking why amI telling you this when it
started yesterday?
I'm telling you this because itis not too late to sign up for
it, even though yesterday wasthe first class.

(14:35):
You get the recordings.
It's all held virtually, so ifyou still want to sign up, you
will get access to the recordingthat we did yesterday.
You will also have access tothe three subsequent recordings
that are happening, coming up,and I'd love for you to be a
part of them.
They're just 30 minute classes,so they don't take very long at

(14:57):
all, and my hope is that youcould use this as a little bit
of a break in your day, or maybetake a late lunch and do part
of it as your lunch.
If I need to adjust the time atany point, we can certainly
talk about doing that.
I'm not opposed.
I'm just trying this time outand if we need to adjust it, I
will definitely adjust it.
So if it's something thatyou're interested in but you're

(15:18):
having hesitations about becauseyou can't be on the calls but
really want to be on the calls.
Reach out to me If you want tojoin.
I will drop the link in theseshow notes to sign up for the
class.
It's only $35 for four classes,which is quite a steal.
I get that they're 30 minuteclasses, but you will be guided

(15:39):
through a breathwork practicethat will either energize you,
calm you or relax you it kind ofjust depends on the day.
But either way it'll be a greatmidday break for you to tune
into your breath and start tobecome aware of the power of
your breath.
So I'll drop that link in theshow notes.

(16:00):
I'd love to have you join us Inthe meantime, helping you find
and use the rhythms in andaround you to flow with life.
I'm Kathy Stricker and you'vebeen listening to Health,
harmony and Happiness.
With Kathy Cheers tocultivating your own version of
health, harmony and happiness inyour life.