Panic Attack Aversion
In this stressful period in history, we tend to look back and yearn for that simpler time when smart phones, internet and global info-tainment didnāt exist. Although millennials canāt fathom what Iām on about, everyone over the age of 35 will. It was actually bliss to be disconnected from everything and incommunicado occasionally. The more āconnectedā we have become, the greater the likelihood that we will eventually experience a panic attack when it all hits the fan. This is because our adrenals have been kicked up into high gear so that we can āoutrunā that beast known as āLost Productivityā and spew out a few more widgets for the boss. As a consequence of this, we all become top-lung breathers, taking shallow breaths all day long. This type of breathing causes a negative feedback loop to occur with the breathing center in our brain, which then sends a signal to the heart to increase itās rate, which in turn, sends a signal back to the lungs via the brain to breath faster. Have you ever seen how a baby on its back breaths? When it is placed on its back, it will automatically revert to abdominal breathing (where the belly rises and falls). This is actually a physiological mechanism that occurs in adults as well. In one of my past videos on Yoga Pranayama Breathing:
I illustrate how to take deeper breaths, increase your lung capacity and up-regulate your ārest-digestā (parasympathetic) nervous system. However, there is also a simpler way to access this nervous system so that panic attacks can be avoided. All you have to do is the following pose:
Viparita Karani (inverted lake pose)
When you are on your back like this, you will automatically revert to abdominal breathing. This will short circuit that panic attack. Just stay in this pose for about 5 min. Although Iāve called this series ā2 Min Health Interventionā I donāt think an extra 3 min is a stretch. Stay tuned for next weekās episode where we talk about Probiotics and Gut Health.