Excel at Your Exhale

Tips for living in the moment more intentionally

When my friend, Michael, says “Ripple something worth rippling,” I know what he means. In each of our own ways, we can do just that. And, sometimes that process of rippling something well requires extra thought, patience, discipline, and intention.

At a time when chaos swarms around us, it is all too easy to hold our breath, wondering about what will come next, and all the questions — the “How? When? Why? Where?” — and the uncertainty that mounts as we ponder each question. In a way, that’s a ripple of its own.

And yet what we really need to do at times like that, rather than holding our breath, is to focus on the exhale.

Research shows that the pace with which we complete a breath cycle makes a difference in our mental and even physical well-being. Inc Magazine reported on two separate studies https://tinyurl.com/Inc-Mag-527Breath and https://tinyurl.com/NIH-Study-VagusNerve2019, where the efficacy of intentional breath work patterns — breathing sequences — is proven to have a positive behavioral impact on us over time.

Over the past few years, I have experimented with different breathing techniques, approaches to meditation, and mindful living. Some of this has been through a meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, Michael O’Brien, and his Pause Breathe Reflect initiative. Another has been by author Valerie Moselle in her book Breathwork and her own teaching practices. One of my favorite practices is commonly referred to as 5–2–7 breathing. In this cycle, which I’ll describe below, you breathe in for a count of 5; hold your breath for a count of 2; and exhale for a full, longer, count of 7. Using this approach on a regular basis, I am able to recenter my mind, my focus, using the pause and exhale time to heighten my awareness and respond rather than react to many situations.

When we control our inhalation pace and our exhalation pace, including a brief pause between them, we train ourselves to be calmer and more in control of our reactions. As Viktor Frankl wrote, decades ago, it is in the space between a stimulus and a response that we have the ability to choose.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor Frankl

If we don’t use that space wisely, we tend to react rather than to respond. So, too, when we take note of our own breath cycle — something that typically happens so automatically that we often don’t take notice of it — we have that short period of time to gain better control, opening more doors of possibility for positive responses, even growth opportunities.

Specifically, using the 5–2–7 approach, we are given the opportunity to ask ourselves questions after repeating the cycle for 2–3 minutes. I invite you to try it:

Breathe in through your nose, counting to 5.

Hold your breath at at the top of your inhalation for a count of 2.

Slowly release the air in your lungs for a count of 7, making a small “o” with your mouth to release the air.

Repeat this 5–2–7 breath cycle three times.

After you’ve completed this breathing technique a few times, sit, observe the cadence of your breath, possibly even placing your hand on your heart, chest or belly to feel any difference. And then — ask yourself:

How do you feel now?

What’s different about how you feel — physically, mentally, emotionally?

Notice the various parts of your body and consider in what ways you feel recharged, heightened, more relaxed, etc.

When you intentionally control your inhales and your exhales, oxygen is absorbed into your brain, allowing endorphins to be released and cognitive functions to improve. As many have found through cultivating a practice of doing 5–2–7 breath work for 2 minutes at a time, your mind slows down, your body relaxes, and you can approach the next task, meeting, or conversation with a greater sense of emotional control and balanced well-being.

Commit yourself to just two minutes a day to start this breathwork. Watch what happens when you excel at your exhale! And then, share about it. It’s as simple as breathing. And you can make your own ripples in a positive way with others.