Did you know that your heart rate, brainwaves and breathing rate are all tethered together?  So when one of those speeds up or slows down, so do the others.  Most of us can’t control our heart rate or brain waves (unless we’ve done a lot of training), but all of us can easily learn to slow down our breathing. Within 5 minutes or less, calm breathing will slow down a racing heart and mind.  It can stop a panic attack in its tracks. 

There are many effective techniques you can use.  Yogis practice Ujai breath, also known as “Ocean Sounding” breath.  Here’s how:

1. Lie comfortably on your back, with legs elevated and knees supported, so that the small of your back sinks into the floor.

2.  Close your eyes, close your mouth, and simply become aware of your breath, moving in and out through your nose without any effort.  Allow your attention to follow your breath.  If you notice thoughts occurring, that’s fine.  Just bring your attention back to your breath.

3.  Now tip your chin slightly down towards your chest.  Find the muscles at the back of your throat; the one’s you use to gently clear your throat.  By tightening them slightly, you will find that your breath now makes a calming sound, like ocean waves. Focus on this sound. No effort is needed.  Just notice how it is, as you draw air in and out of your nose.

4.  Gradually, begin to slow your breath.  If you find your mind wandering, just bring it back to the sound of your breath. 

5.  Start with 5 minutes of practice daily, and work up to 20 minutes for maximum health benefits.

“The mystics and the Sufis say that the Divine is the very breath we breathe.  The Hebrew word ruah means both spirit and breath…our essence is infused with and through the creativity of the Divine breath.  So the simple act of breathing that we do about 28,000 time a day is a way of breathing in the Divine, a way of praying, a way to ground ourselves in this moment.”  Thomas Merton

Ahhhhhh…  Just seeing this sound on the page invokes relaxation. Saying it is even better. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and then release a slow, calming Ahhhhhh through your mouth. Repeat 9 times.  How’s that? Did you notice your heart rate and breathing slow down?

It may seem simplistic, but this comforting sound definitely reduces stress instantly.  It’s the sound of the heart chakra, which invokes love, trust, hope, openness, compassion, balance and forgiveness. It counteracts depression, loneliness and lack of self-esteem.  This soothing tone is found in the sacred words of many faith traditions, including Amen, Alleluia, Aum and Allah’u’Abhá.

Here’s a heart opening practice that you can use to go deeper into the Ahhhh sound.

1.     Begin by listening to the sound of your breath.  Tip your chin down a little to make it slightly audible, like an ocean wave.  Let it flow in and out without effort. 

2.     Now visualize your breath coming in through your heart, and out through your solar plexus.  Imagine you are breathing in love and exhaling all toxic feelings and thoughts.

3.     Now think of something that you feel appreciation for.   It could be a joyful event in your life. A beautiful scene in nature. A loved one or a child.  The important thing is that you create a feeling of gratitude in your heart.  Feel this sense of gratefulness and imagine yourself surrounded by pink or green light.  Keep breathing without straining.

4.     On the next out-breath, let the sound ‘Ahhh” gently float out, as you release all tension.  Continue breathing and toning ‘Ahhh’ at your own pace. Continue to feel loving gratitude as you think of one thing you appreciate about yourself and one thing you appreciate about someone else.                 

5.     Visualize a beam of light, full of compassion coming from your heart and send it to …

• Yourself
  
• Someone you love
  
• Someone with whom you’ve had some difficulty
• Mother Earth and all her people
• Our Creator

With gratitude to Jonathan Goldman, International Sound Healer's Association. 

Humming creates an immediate healing effect on your whole body. Its one of the fastest, most effect de-stressors you can use.  And it’s free and portable!  Humming slows down your breathing rate, which automatically slows your heart rate and calms your brain waves.  Within 2-5 minutes, you will feel totally at ease.  (See instructions below)

How does it work? Sound moves through the fluid parts of your body 4.5 times faster than through the air.  And 12 times faster through your bones (which is why ultrasound imaging works.) So the moment you begin to hum, you are giving yourself a sonic massage, inside and out.  Humming vibrates every cell, right down to your DNA.  It causes your brain to release relaxing endorphins.  It also stimulates production of nitric oxide, which helps maintain cellular health, strengthens your immune system, improves circulation and digestion, clears your mind and reduces stress.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine showed that humming increased blood flow in the sinuses, and boosted production of Nitric oxide 15 times higher. Other studies show that humming improves hearing and reduces nasal congestion. Humming at 25-150 Hz has been known to speed healing of bone, tendons, ligaments and muscles.  25-50 Hz increases bone density. 100 Hz helps decrease dyspnea and shortness of breath. In another study, exposure to 50-150 Hz provided relief for 80% of those suffering chronic and acute pain.  

HUMMING FOR HEALTH—HERE’S HOW: Close your eyes.  Now breathe in and out through your nose, with your lips closed.  As you release your breath, gently allow a soft humm to float out. Use a note that feels good to you, one where you easily feel the vibration in your body.  Be gentle. Louder is not better.  Continue for a few minutes, without straining until you feel the relaxation response. For maximum health, gradually work up to 10-20 minutes a day.

Do you feel “humming challenged”?  Here’s another option. Get a cat that loves to purr and hug tight. Research shows that cats purr at healing sound frequencies of 25-150 Hz. They purr when giving birth, when frightened and when severely injured.  Their bones heal more rapidly after fractures than dogs (who don’t purr, of course). So if you don’t want to hum, you can try some “purr therapy”.