High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 432: How Breathing Calms Your Brain

Episode Date: May 19, 2021

The present moment is the only place peak performance is possible. Breathing deliberately is important to your mindset because it allows you to remain in the present moment and reduces your stress, anxiety, and anger.  Breathing deliberately also improves memory and awareness. Dr. Cindra talks about how to count with your breathing because this helps you NOT focus on what is creating your stress and anxiety.     Power Phrase this Week: “I train my mind taking a breath to stay in the present.”  Quote of the Week: “The breath that you just took, that’s a gift.” Rob Bell 

Hi friends, my name is Dr. Sindra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best, so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. We check in with Dr. Sindra Kampoff today. And Sindra, today we're talking about

breathing. And it's just something we don't even think about. Absolutely. I'm going to start with this wonderful quote by Rob Bell. He said, the breath that you just took, that's the gift. So how breathing calms your brain. Do you have an example to start us out today? The Maverick softball team is going to the NCAA tournament. And Lisa, this weekend, they beat the number one team in the nation. I know, so excited. It was really fun to follow them along or follow along with them.

And I've been working with them this season. And we had a fun mental training workshop last night where we were talking all about kind of staying in the present moment and taking it one play at a time. And, you know, this is so fundamental to sports, but especially life in general and business, because the present moment is the only place where we can be our best. And the breath is the best place to get in the present because it's always with you. And I really like this quote by Rob Bell, you know, that your breath is the gift because it represents your life as well. So how does this connect to our topic for today? So today we're talking about how breathing calms your brain is the gift because it represents your life as well. So how does this connect to our topic for today?

So today we're talking about how breathing calms your brain and the science behind it, kind of the simple science. And I think, Lisa, what's interesting is the centuries of wisdom will tell us that we should pay attention to our breathing, but it seems so basic, you know, and we might even ask ourselves, like, does this really work? It's, you know, it's just really easy to ignore. But the benefits are really incredible, which we're going to talk about today. Yeah, can you tell us about the benefits of breathing? Yeah, so I think the biggest benefit is when we breathe intentionally,

it stimulates what's called our vagus nerve, which plays a key role in our mental health and our mindset in general. And you might be saying, okay, Cendrilla, what's a vagus nerve? It's the longest nerve in our body, which actually activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which is the nervous system that we use when we aren't under stress. And so when we do this, it reduces our stress and our anxiety, maybe our anger, frustration. And when we stimulate this vagus nerve, it actually also improves our memory and our awareness. So really being intentional with your breathing is really key. So how do you suggest that we actually use our breathing?

So there was a study that found that when we discount the number of breaths that we take over a two-minute period, it actually really intentionally helps us pay attention to our breathing. And why is this important? Because it taps into kind of our brain's emotional control region. So, for example, on average, we take about 10 to 14 breaths a minute. But when you really slow that down and take, let's say like six over the course of a minute helps you relieve your stress. And Lisa, I would tell people to breathe in through your nose and hold the breath for just a couple of counts and then breathe out through your mouth. And

even counting with it will really help you not focus on whatever is stressing you out, but it helps you refocus on just counting. And it also really helps stimulate the snaggish nerves. So for example, you might use a count of seven counts in, hold for two, six counts out, or even shorter, like four counts in, hold for two, out for three counts. I was just holding and breathing while you were doing that. I love it. I'm hoping I'm a little more relaxed now. What's the final point you have for us today? Well, one of my colleagues, his name is Jeff Coleman, and he works for Valor Performance. We were talking about breathing this week, and he said, you know, when you're focused on breathing, what are you focused on? And then he said,

what are you not focused on? And I thought that was brilliant because what you're not focused on when you're breathing and you're counting with it, you're not focused on what was causing you stress or anxiety. You know, maybe speaking in front of others, if that causes you stress or the person that you're angry at or the person that cut you off in traffic or the outcome of the play or the game. So I think really using your breath to calm you down is really going to help you. Can you summarize today for us? So I would say the present moment is the best place, the only place that you're at your best. And really breathing deliberately helps you get in the present.

And that's important to your mindset, to reducing your stress, anxiety, and improving your memory. And if you count with your breathing, it helps you stay in the present because you're not focused on what's causing you stress or anxiety. So what is our power phrase this week that's going to help us with our breathing? I train my mind taking a breath to stay in the present. Taking a breath to stay in the present. Cindra Kampoff, how do we find out more information about you or keep up with what you're doing,

your podcast, your book, your writings, your teachings? Yeah, you can head over to Dr. Cindra, so D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. And I'm a performance coach and executive coach and help teams and businesses really help them gain the mental edge. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Sindhra for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week.

So again, you can head over to Dr. Sindhra. That's D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. See you next week.