We saw earlier how stress has become an epidemic in the 21st century. With the advent of technology, especially phones, and the internet, many of us are getting first-hand experience of what stress means, but this is not the only place where stress prevails, and certainly not in its worst form.

In the same world where people are worried about professional race and personal gains, many other humans are pouring their lives into wars. And the damage of wars runs deeper than visible. Entire lives are shaken, even on the winning side. In the US alone, where war veterans accounted for 14% of the total suicides in 2018, many more continue to live a life of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

While discussing wars is out of scope right now, we can learn something from how the army is bringing more of its veterans back to harmony with life. For years, the US Defense Department has researched ways to improve focus and reduce stress, with results being applied to both rehabilitating its suffering soldiers, as well as to improving the field performance of the rest.

These days, as more and more people are adopting anti-anxiety and anti-depressant pills as a way of life, regardless of their known side effects, the US Defense Department has been strengthening its yoga and breathing programs. And we are here to learn.

Breathing is easy to practice and works instantaneously. This could be one of the reasons why the rate of recovery of veterans has gone up significantly in these programs. Even the active Navy SEALs are known to practice certain breathing exercises like Box-Breathing before a demanding activity to improve performance. If both the army and Buddha validate it, breathing must be powerful, right?

In his famous TEDx talk, Lucas Rockwood talks about three different kinds of breathing that you can benefit from:

1.     Water breathing as default

2.     Whiskey breathing for relaxing

3.     Coffee breathing for alertness

You can watch his video where Lucas talks about how breathing works on a range of things, like digestion, heart rate, blood pH, and anxiety (Psst! Notice how whiskey breathing is nothing but Nirvana).

Video link here:

Breathing is about being in the moment, neither the past nor the future. Right here, right now. You will miss the point if you use the benefits of breathing just to work for more hours than before. A greater value of the achieved peace lies in making you comfortable to express yourself as well as becoming a safe space for others to open up. It is about being human.

Here’s some food for thought:

Bottled-up expressions often hold us back from being in the present. Not only does this increase the time spent worrying, but also reduces the time spent feeling alive, thus aggravating stress. While breathing can reduce the symptoms, it will not resolve any problem until you find a way to express held-up emotions. We are all fighting our own battles, and the world can get better only if we stand for each other.

Isolation and suppression of feelings are major sources of stress today, and in a competitive world, they are more prevalent than ever. Just think of how many times you held back expressing yourself because it was not “acceptable” at your work or school. Problems are always better fixed at their root, and it is time to reduce stress by working together to change the definition of “acceptable.”

Now don’t take this as a call for radical change. Go slow. There is more to learn (and unlearn) in this Kosmik exploration of self.

In the end, when in doubt, breathe out. Nirvana is just a breath away ☮️