Our lives are speeding up in so many ways and our bodies are simply not evolved to go at this pace. Attention spans are flitting in schools, on the streets and in our homes. The more information we receive, the more overloaded our brains are trying to store and take in information.

Intentionally slowing down allows you to be more present, listen fully, be less reactive and perform better. When we slow down we bring balance back into our nervous system, we are less wired and allow ourselves to settle back into focus, clarity and insight.

Our collective attention spans have been shrinking and this has been massively accelerated by the internet. We are being soaked in information and wooed by fast track communication and methods to get things quicker. We are nearing an exhaustion of attention resources. The more we receive, the less we can absorb it, the more quickly we move onto the next thing. We are nearing a reality where society is living more and more inside their phones unaware of the risks to their attention and wellbeing.

Your breath is your brain’s remote control and is free to use and manipulate daily. Better to browse within your own inner landscape to bring back balance from the time browsing on a screen. Our inhale and exhale directly affects electrical signals that communicate with memory and emotional processing centres. By getting out of the stress cycle, we can allow the front of our brains to drive us.

The front part of our brain is important for rational decision making. That front part of our brain is the part that we need when faced with a tough decision, when trying to find a solution, when doing homework, writing an email, empathising with a friend, being present with our family. Research shows that breathwork can have a direct effect on the overall activity level of the brain. What this means is that the way we breathe stimulates the vagus nerve to changing states and is in charge of the autonomic nervous system.

This month we will be focussing on creating space, slowing down and finding our joy and purpose beyond the to-do-lists and information overload.

Book of the month: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.

This book is filled with astonishing and interesting facts and case studies. For example, one area explores the decline of sustained reading. According to the book 57% of Americans don’t read a single book in a year, and yet the average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone each day.

Hari goes on to point out that our attention spans are decreasing at a time we need them most. It can be easy to blame ourselves if we find it difficult to read. Hari argues though that we are not the problem but that we now live in ‘an attentional pathogenic culture’ that makes sustained, deep focus almost impossible. And whilst the average person can make changes, the whole system needs an overhaul.

Intentionally slowing down allows you to be more present, listen fully, be less reactive and perform better. When we slow down we bring balance back into our nervous system, we are less wired and allow ourselves to settle back into focus, clarity and insight.

Your breath is your brain’s remote control and is free to use and manipulate daily. Research shows that breathwork can have a direct effect on the overall activity level of the brain. What this means is that the way we breathe stimulates the vagus nerve to changing states and is in charge of the autonomic nervous system.

The breath truly is a powerful tool we can use every day.