Sudev : Hello, Bethel. How are you today?

Bethel : I'm doing well. How are you?

Sudev : Great. Good to see you back. Did you have a great weekend?

Bethel : We did. The weather is beautiful today. So it’s wonderful.

Sudev : Excellent. Yeah, so did I. But our weekend was a little bit wet here. So we didn't go out much. We did spend some time at home trying to catch up on things. So it was good.

Bethel : Always good.

Sudev : Today, we are talking about shifting your emotions, right?

Bethel : Yes

Sudev : All right. So you share it that people's breathing patterns and emotions are closely linked. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

Bethel : Yes

Sudev : All right. So you share it that people's breathing patterns and emotions are closely linked. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

Bethel : Yeah. Absolutely. So most people don't realize it, but their breathing pattern can have a great effect on the emotions they're feeling and vice versa. 

So a lot of people have very shallow, high-chest breathing, and those are very often the same people who have a lot of anxiety or worry or maybe feel panic a lot as opposed to when people are breathing more correctly using their diaphragm, then they tend to feel relaxed or happy or safe. 

So there's just this thought that we can pay attention to what our breathing pattern is, and if we need to, we can intentionally shift that to get into a better frame of mind, mentally and emotionally. 

Sudev : Cool. What are the main categories of breathing patterns?

Bethel : Right. I typically just think of two kinds of overarching main categories. The first one would be fear-based patterns. 

Those would be the patterns that deregulate your nervous system, maybe put you into that fight-or-flight response, or maybe send you more into this side of depression or just the things that we typically think of as more negative type emotions.

The second category is what I would classify as love-based patterns, and those are the ones that help us to feel safe, connected, and happy.

Sudev : OK. So what are some common breathing patterns that you see people using that negatively affect their mental or emotional state?

Bethel : Sure. Like I mentioned a little bit before, a lot of times, people are high-chest breathing. So they're not using their diaphragm at all. 

They're breathing up here, they're breathing very, very shallowly. Maybe they're using their shoulders a lot or their upper chest. They're (breathing sound) and a lot of times breathing through their mouth, and that combination of things is pretty much guaranteed to dysregulate the nervous system. 

It can very easily put the body into a fight-or-flight stress response. Sometimes people are really collapsed, their shoulders are collapsed and whether they're mouth breathing or not, is very, very shallow. 

That can also push someone into a state where they feel really unmotivated or maybe they feel more depressed or just feel like they don't have the energy to do anything.

Sudev : Right. What are some breathing patterns that support mental and emotional well-being?

Bethel : Right. These would be the patterns that are more correct. So when we're using our diaphragm and doing more of that deep belly breathing that we talk about, also breathing in through the nose as opposed to the mouth has a much more calming effect on the nervous system.

Think of it like when you go outside, and it's a beautiful day and you go (breathing sound). That's a really calming pattern, right? It's something that we feel joy, or we feel expansive. 

So those love-based patterns are usually in through the nose and out through the mouth or either a nice relaxed exhale, or they're nicely balanced where we're breathing in and out for basically the same amount of time.

Sudev : Cool. So are there any tips you can share with our audience to see how they can use their breath to improve or regulate their moods and emotions?

Bethel : Sure. If someone is noticing that they're feeling really anxious, worried, feeling super unmotivated, or depressed, they can stop and just take a minute to notice the way they're breathing. 

Typically, it will be one of those patterns we talked about, and then they can stop and think, “Well, what emotion would I prefer to feel? Would I rather feel safe or joyful or loved?” And then they can intentionally use one of those breath patterns that's connected to one of those positive emotions, which again, typically would be slowing the breath down, making sure they're breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth, using the diaphragm. 

Usually within a matter of minutes, you will start to feel your mood shift in a positive direction.

Sudev : Cool. Thank you for sharing that. Do you have any other things that you want to share with the audience?

Bethel : I think just the overarching idea that you actually do hold the power to regulate your own emotions and be aware of them. 

A lot of times, we just feel like it's something that just happens to us, like “I don't know, I just don't feel good today, and I don't know why”, but we really actually have a lot of power and a lot of ability to shift to those things. 

And it's as simple as using your breath, which is with you 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s free and you can tap into it at any time.

Sudev : Cool. That's very insightful. Thank you, Bethel. We will talk more about breathing patterns and other things in the coming weeks. So thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge, and we look forward to another session.

Bethel : Me too. Thank you.