Just Breathe!
By Rafael Duran
I had the pleasure of speaking to about 40 Kansas City area businesswomen recently at a Central Exchange South luncheon. The topic of the day centered around women’s heart health and my presentation focused on breathing, yoga and mediation and a study done recently on the effects of yoga on atrial fibrillation, conducted by Mid-America Cardiology and the University of Kansas Hospital.
The audience was surprised when I announced that we are all oxygen-deprived,which is one of my favorite tactics to capture the attention of a group. Well, once again, that got their attention – and here’s how I proved it to them
(and I challenge my readers to do this as well):
Breathe in normally, then make a concerted second effort. Most of us notice that the lungs fill about 30% the first time. And then, the second time, when we are really focused on it, we are able to take in at least twice as much air. Now, expand the abdomen as you inhale, and then make a concerted second effort. Most of us notice that now the lungs were about 90% full, taking in very little air the second time. Using the abdominal muscles is the easiest way to triple air intake with the least amount of effort.
Now that I had their attention, they were really interested in integrating these breathing techniques into their everyday lives. I suggested they try it late in the afternoon, around 3 or 4pm, the next time they were feeling fatigued or a little lackluster.
Talking about yoga was more difficult, since it is hard to comprehend yoga and its benefits without actually doing it. However, I was able to talk about some of the noticeable effects Iyengar yoga had on the Yoga My Heart study participants. Almost all participants showed improved flexibility, stamina and alignment by the end of the three month study period. Many also reported feeling more control over the anxiety commonly experienced by afib patients.
The meditation part of my talk was very brief. We talked about practicing relaxed breathing, which is abdominally assisted, but at your own pace. Most commonly, people would take about 4 seconds to inhale and 4 seconds to exhale. In order to practice meditative breathing (or as we often call it “decelerated” breathing), those intervals need to be stretched to 5, 6, 7 or 8 seconds. Once a person gets to that point, they can begin to experience the meditative effects of slower breathing, as well as its relaxing and therapeutic effects.
If you or anyone you know has atrial fibrillation and who might like to participate in this program, there is a new group being formed, slated to start in March or April. The participants are monitored for three months to set a baseline and then attend yoga classes for three months. There is no cost to participants nor do they have to be Mid-America Cardiology patients. Anyone with afib is asked to contact the Yoga My Heart Study Information Line at 913-945-6835 or visit this website for more information.www.kumed.com
