How to get a Blackbelt in Writing - Part 15 - Breath control

Haven't done one of these in a while. Life got a little crazy. I forgot to stop and just be; just breathe.
We all live insanely busy lives. Apparently 'busy' is the new black. It's easy to forget to centre yourself.
In Aikido one of the key concepts is breath control. Breathing in to prepare for a throw or lock. Breathing out when you throw someone or put a lock on. Regulating the flow of breath so you're not gasping for air because of exertion and adrenalin. Some branches of Aikido talk about the 'spiritual' element to the exhalation and its connection to power, but there are actually some very practical reasons for breath control.
     First: your brain analyses the scent of the air and uses it to judge danger. The smell of a wild animal; the smell of fear sweat; the smell of off meat. It's a warning signal that can trigger a fear-response in you. That causes a cascade of chemicals in your blood preparing you for fight/flight type responses. Your reasoning mind goes a bit haywire and you become generally terrible at making smart, cool decisions.
     So if the stress is purely in your mind - your own anxieties, not any physical danger - then taking slow, deep breaths helps show your mind there's no actual threat. So it can help to calm you. That's why meditation teaches so much on breathing. It gives you something to focus on to distract you from the quicksand of fear and anxiety.
     And breathing out - whether accompanied by a strong 'ki-ai' cry or just a sharp breath - does help to focus your power when you're throwing or locking someone up.
     Breathing and recognising how breath can affect your thinking and emotions is essential in martial arts.
     Actually, it should be essential in everything. In writing, you'll often be faced with roadblocks. Either an overwhelming amount of 'stuff' to do to achieve your writing career goals, or perhaps 'writers block', or the stress of trying to understand and interact successfully with people.
     In pretty much every instance, if you step away and take a few long, deep breaths, you'll find yourself calming down. Meditation is a brilliant way to settle your mind and help you find what's really important.
     So next time you're stressed about a story going wrong, or a bad review, or some apparently insurmountable problem.... just take a few long, slow breaths in and let them out. Relax your shoulders and jaw. Feel the breath go right down into your body's centre. Release it on a scream if you need to. Or just let the stress go as much as you can with each breath.
     Your brain will 'taste' the air and understand there's no external threat and the stress hormones will start to reduce in your blood and brain.
​     Try it.

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