Your Breath IS Your Superpower
A few months ago, my son took our pulse oximeter out of the bathroom and was playing with it in the kitchen. If you’re wondering what a pulse oximeter is, it’s that thing the doctor clamps most often onto your fingertip to get a quick reading of your heart rate and the oxygen saturation levels in your blood. And yes, we have one now in our home thanks to Covid.
My son was yelling and super excited to be using this “toy” and so of course, his heart rate was elevated. The more he jumped around the kitchen and the more excited he got, the higher he watched his little heart rate go which of course, excited him even more! Meanwhile, I was standing in the kitchen next to him thinking Dear Jesus, please let him calm down…my ears hurt!
And then, boom. An idea hit me! It was the perfect time for a real life lesson which I realized would also help to calm my son down a little. Win Win!
After getting his attention, I asked my son if he knew what the tiny machine on his finger was even for. Being a Nurse and talking with my kids at home a lot about meditation, mindfulness, and breathing, he actually did know what it was for so we were off to an awesome start!
Next, I asked my son to do an experiment with me. He agreed.
Me: “OK. First, make a note of your heart rate. What is it?”
J: “It is 125!”
Me: “OK. 125. Noted. Now, close your eyes with me and let’s breathe together. Breathe in and out, inhaling and exhaling slowly.”
And so my son closed his eyes as he held my hands and began breathing in sync with me, in and out, inhaling and exhaling slowly. About 10 seconds into the experiment, unbeknownst to my son, I opened my eyes and watched his heart rate begin to fall…123, 120, 118 114…and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of it all.
With his heart rate somewhere around 100 and us still breathing together, I asked my son to open his eyes.
Me: “Now go ahead and open your eyes and take a peek at the pulse oximeter.”
And so he did.
He opened his eyes, realized his heart rate had fallen, and gave me a little smile before saying loudly, “Mom, this is SO COOL!”
And then…
Me: “Now keep your eyes open and continue breathing in and out with me, slowly, inhaling and exhaling and focusing on your breath.”
And so he did. And as he watched his heart rate continue to fall until it hit the mid 80’s or so, his eyes were wide with wonder at the magic that was happening right before them and I was smiling big knowing something was clicking in his little brain.
Of course, his sister was watching the entire time we were conducting this experiment and so when he finished, she wanted a turn of her own! And so we clamped the pulse oximeter on her tiny fingertip, took note of her heart rate, held hands, closed our eyes, and began to breathe together. When she opened her eyes, like her brother, she too watched as her breath, something she could directly control, had a direct impact on her very own heart rate. Needless to say, she too watched the magic happen!
When all was said and done with our experiment in the kitchen that day, we all agreed that our breath IS a superpower.
Getting the gift of watching my kiddos make the connection that their breath was the direct cause of their reduced heart rate and that their breath was responsible for helping them to slow that heart rate down and to FEEL calmer was totally freakin AWESOME!
When we breathe deeply down into our diaphragm, our vagus nerve is triggered hence triggering our parasympathetic nervous system. Our parasympathetic nervous system works like a parachute, opening up, slowing us down, calming us down. Not only does it trigger our heart rate to slow down, it also helps us to FEEL calmer overall.
And guess what?
YOU control your breath. Your breath can trigger your nervous system. So really, YOU can control your nervous system via your breath! YES, it is true! We may not control 90% of the shit that comes our way each day, but we do control our breath and our breath can help us to come down and calm down when needed.
If you have a pulse oximeter at home, try this experiment with your kiddos or for yourself. Clamp that sucker on your fingertip, take note of your heart rate, close your eyes and focus on your breath, inhaling and exhaling, breathing in and out. After 30 seconds or so, take note of how you are FEELING and then, open your eyes and see the magic for yourself! After all, seeing is believing.
Your breath IS your superpower.
Believe it. Be grateful for it. Use it.
