We've been breathing since our first moments of life, but does that mean we are truly experts? In this episode of Stimulus, therapist and breathwork coach Ryan Cheney walks us through how we can make breath work for us, not just with us.

Despite breathing being an automatic process since birth, most of us have yet to harness breath's potential to consciously improve our well-being. The discussion covers various aspects of breathing techniques and their effects, including influence on mental and physiological states, visual field expansion for psychological adjustment, and the three pillars of breath physiology. Cheney also delves into specific breath patterns for nervous system regulation, the advantages of nose versus mouth breathing, and the significance of intentional breathwork in managing stress.  

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For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We Discuss: 

• How breathing can be used to create different mental and physiologic states [02:40];
• Expanding your visual field to quickly adjust your psychological state [03:15];
• The mechanics of breathing [07:00];
• Chest breathing
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Volume control
• The physiology of breathing [10:40];
• The psychology of breathing [15:30];
• 3 categories of breath exercises[16:05];
• Apnea breath patterns
• Cadence protocols
• Super Ventilation
• Mouth vs. Nose Breathing [18:00];
• Why stress can be a good thing, but we need to learn how to come down-regulate from it [26:00];
• Specific breathing exercises and how they can change your mental state [28:45],
• The calming effect of ocean breathing and elongating the exhale [33:20].