Picture this: The stakes are high—or they seem that way to an athlete (or student or performer) you care about. One glance and you can feel the obvious tightness in their chest in your own. There's a look of panic on their face. What do you do?
Most people operating from a regulated nervous system will try to encourage the athlete in question to breathe—which is appropriate. However, if they’re still conscious, they are breathing, even if not optimally. What’s often impairing their breath cycle is that they’re getting stuck in the process of inhalation.
That stuckness originates in physiological function. Think about the first thing most people do when they become aware of a threat: often that is to inhale, probably sharply. This helps us brace for impact.
Maybe try it yourself when you’re able. Maybe picture a threat coming into your awareness. Notice what your inhalation is like. Notice what you sense in your chest as you inhale. Maybe you notice a broadening or an expansion as you inhale, a sense of becoming larger. Notice how your body prepares to act. Notice the extent to which you trust the action your body is guiding you toward. Notice when and how you exhale and how your breath cycles from there.
When you’re ready, perhaps reflect on the tools you have that helped........