I had the biggest panic attack of my life at a 10-day silent retreat. Ironic right? It says a lot about just how bad it can become when you are stuck with your own thoughts. There is a lot to clean up on the inside of your mind!
What got me out of my panic attack was the “Physiological sigh” or, as I call it, “Bullet time breathing” (BTB). I call it BTB because I keep misspelling or mispronouncing “physiological” and because it slows down the world around you so you can dodge bullets (like in The Matrix).
I first heard about BTB, or the Physiological Sigh, from Dr Andrew Huberman, and it has, throughout the years, become a close practice I use to quickly Outcalm myself.
Here is how it works:
BTB consist of a double inhalation followed by a longer exhalation. That’s it.
The second breath is crucial for filling your lungs with as much oxygen as possible. The extended exhale is an effort to get as much carbon dioxide out as possible.
After 3-5 breaths, your mind will be in a much more peaceful state.
This is my experience of BTB:
Anxiety is triggered when cortisol (the stress hormone) increases in your nervous system.
As a result, your breath becomes shallow, your body becomes tense, and your focus narrows.
Your sympathetic nervous system is activated, and you are ready for fight or flight!
BUT! Maybe you are (like me) just sitting around minding your own business; maybe there is no lion to fight or run away from. Maybe your mind is telling you ghost stories.
To gather your composure and calm down, you need to switch from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also called the state of rest and digest.
BTB decreases cortisol in the system by flushing the body with oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide stuck in the lungs.
This is the effect of the double inhale: It expands your lungs and empties any pockets of carbon dioxide hidden in its crevices.
That is it. Effective and quick. You can also practice BTB in any setting, which makes it helpful if you can’t get out of a situation but have to deal with it at the moment.
Having meditated for more than 15 years, I am pretty convinced that breathwork works for me. I hope this simple exercise will serve you as well as it has me.