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I wonder every time I see things like this whether more conventional exercise will also do the same thing. I'm a recreational runner, and as I become more fit,

I wonder every time I see things like this whether more conventional exercise will also do the same thing. I'm a recreational runner, and as I become more fit, I notice that my body is capable of entering deeper and deeper states of relaxation. When I go to sleep at night, my breathing and heart rate slow to rates that I never could have sustained before getting in shape. Being conscious and in control of my breath is important, especially at high altitude. And a long run out in nature definitely puts me in a meditative state. I wonder if this kind of conventional exercise might provide more "bang for your buck" than just controlled breathing in isolation.

frereubu 6y ago
There's a great book called Bird Therapy - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804073-bird-therapy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804073-bird-therapy - where the author talks about how birdwatching helped enormously with his mental health. He talks briefly at one point about two runners who "birdwatch" while running, and who find the same kind of meditative peace that he does from a long walk with birdwatching points along the way. I've only just started trail running, but I find the mix of nature and running definitely multiplies the benefits of exercise and meditation rather than just adding together. (That is, if there aren't too many people around - I live in a relatively crowded part of the country unfortunately, so despite being surrounded by lovely countryside there are often quite a few people about!)
bob1029 6y ago
Exercise will certainly accomplish similar objectives. After a few months of intense circuit training, I started to realize that I could get away with breathing a lot less frequently. Once my resting heart rate dropped below 50BPM, it was like having a mental switch I could throw on demand to enter into a state of calm. Just a few seconds of focus and I could deal with a monster of a stressful situation with ease. I really need to get back into it. The time investment is substantial, but exercise always pays really good dividends.
- nmfisher 6y ago
  One of my pet theories is that regular exercise strengthens your core muscles and allows you to recruit those core muscles more effectively. This is what allows the diaphragm to expand more and thus facilitates deeper breathing. More oxygen per breath, and fewer heartbeats required to circulate it through the bloodstream. Could be total rubbish, but I'd be interested to see a study either way.
james_s_tayler 6y ago
I think it makes sense you would be able to enter deeper states of relaxation. I've heard in animal studies they've shown that if you disable the parasympathetic nerve into the heart then it just beats a constant, quite high rate. Marathon runners have considerably lower resting heart rate. It seems to be the parasympathetic nervous system acts as a brake that pumps on an off (connected to inhalation/exhalation) to keep it lower than it's default max speed. So that it's constantly lower means more parasympathetic bias?

frereubu 6y ago

There's a great book called Bird Therapy - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804073-bird-therapy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804073-bird-therapy - where the author talks about how birdwatching helped enormously with his mental health. He talks briefly at one point about two runners who "birdwatch" while running, and who find the same kind of meditative peace that he does from a long walk with birdwatching points along the way. I've only just started trail running, but I find the mix of nature and running definitely multiplies the benefits of exercise and meditation rather than just adding together. (That is, if there aren't too many people around - I live in a relatively crowded part of the country unfortunately, so despite being surrounded by lovely countryside there are often quite a few people about!)

bob1029 6y ago

Exercise will certainly accomplish similar objectives. After a few months of intense circuit training, I started to realize that I could get away with breathing a lot less frequently. Once my resting heart rate dropped below 50BPM, it was like having a mental switch I could throw on demand to enter into a state of calm. Just a few seconds of focus and I could deal with a monster of a stressful situation with ease. I really need to get back into it. The time investment is substantial, but exercise always pays really good dividends.

nmfisher 6y ago
One of my pet theories is that regular exercise strengthens your core muscles and allows you to recruit those core muscles more effectively. This is what allows the diaphragm to expand more and thus facilitates deeper breathing. More oxygen per breath, and fewer heartbeats required to circulate it through the bloodstream. Could be total rubbish, but I'd be interested to see a study either way.

james_s_tayler 6y ago

I think it makes sense you would be able to enter deeper states of relaxation. I've heard in animal studies they've shown that if you disable the parasympathetic nerve into the heart then it just beats a constant, quite high rate. Marathon runners have considerably lower resting heart rate. It seems to be the parasympathetic nervous system acts as a brake that pumps on an off (connected to inhalation/exhalation) to keep it lower than it's default max speed. So that it's constantly lower means more parasympathetic bias?