Breathing Is The Only Bodily Function We Can Control

​Breathing is the only bodily rhythm that we are able to consciously control and our most direct highway to flow. Conscious breathing is extensively used in flow interventions and different combined intervention sets.
Arguably the most important aspect of mental and physical health and well-being is the respiratory process. We know how to breathe. It is something that occurs to us automatically, spontaneously, naturally. 
We are breathing even when we are not aware of it. So it seems foolish to think that one can be told how to breathe. Yet, one’s breathing becomes modified and restricted in various ways, not just momentarily, but habitually. We develop unhealthy habits without being aware of it. We tend to assume slouched positions that diminish lung capacity and take shortened breaths.
So why is breathing so important? 

It has been suggested that the average individual can survive: 40 days without food, 4 days without water and 4 minutes without oxygen! Medical science has revealed an alarming fact, 80 % of the population is breathing wrong - shallow & inefficient, chest only. Stress ... response creates a vicious cycle, which through time results in a stressful and shallow “default” breathing pattern, producing 12 - 18 breaths a minute - while science tells us we need only 6 proper deep breaths in a minute to supply our needs.

All the extra activity involved in our short, shallow breathing habits is robbing us of precious energy, producing toxic waste products and promoting a wide range of pulmonary & other diseases in our bodies and depression for our mind, further contributing to an ever more widely present “burnout syndrome”.

Only slower and deeper breathing properly oxygenates your body, gets rid of toxins and gives your body a chance to properly maintain all functions. Independent studies have clearly demonstrated, that by breathing properly, we can increase potential to live a longer and healthier life and avoid depression & disease.
Nature has equipped us with a “fight of flight” emergency response for surviving against the enemy or danger. It has also provided us with a “calming” response, to restore peace and serenity, equally important for our survival.
To enter the flow, we need to breathe correctly, moving toward a slower and deeper daily breathing pattern (diaphragmatic with prolonged exhalation) that replaces shallow “default” breathing. Progressively lowered breathing rhythm increasingly employs relax centres in our nervous system and efficiently slows down and calms all the body systems, creating potential to experience the flow state.

Breathing rhythm and its relation to the flow 
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Breathing in through the nose and exhaling either through the nose or mouth by properly using diaphragm is a well established consensus on what is a correct breathing technique. FlowCode includes effective techniques from different disciplines and formalizes them by their effect, while all of them follow the same basic logic. 
Breathing rhythm is extremely important since it is one of the few gateways into flow and one of its most potent active ingredients. Breathing rhythm is directly correlated to our nervous system, reflecting its every state. Therefore one of the most effective ways to boost the experience of flow is to use the ability to regulate breathing and manipulate it toward conscious, deep & slow diaphragmatic breathing pattern.
As is evident from the chart, to experience a more powerful flow in everyday life, we must keep breathing pace within the right frequency. It is defined as any breathing frequency below 10 breaths per minute, which triggers a parasympathetic response, which in effect triggers flow.

Normal daily life breathing frequencies above 10 breaths per minute increase sympathetic nervous system response, which leads to flight or fight state, stress, anxiety and depression. This concerns normal activities of everyday living, where we don’t have extra demands for oxygen. In this way we have a powerful tool at our disposal to hack the flow into higher gear.
Breathing very slow or in case of a breath-hold, also results in carbon dioxide increase. Studies have unanimously confirmed that CO2 is a very potent flow state trigger, since it harmonizes brainwaves, creates immediate calming effect, enables powerful embodiment and directly contributes to the hypofunction of prefrontal cortex.