Treat your Mind, Body & Soul with the 4 to Restore Technique
Move yourself out of stress into a place of balance and coherence with the '4 to Restore' technique.
Step 1: Heart Focused Breathing
Heart focused breathing has been extensively studied for over 40 years at HeartMath Institute, who are leading the way with studies involving the heart, brain connection.
When we turn our attention towards our heart this is signaling our body that it is safe to focus inward. When we are in a state of stress or overwhelm, stress hormones cause us to focus on our outer environment, our 5 sensors become over stimulated and the last place we go is inward. Stress hormones also increase our heart rate, and our breathing is shallow and fast. Turning our attention inward towards our heart allows balance back into the autonomic nervous system (taking the foot off the gas so to speak).
Not only do we turn our focus inward, but we also consciously bring our attention towards our breath, slowing the breath to a comfortable rate. This can be 5 seconds on the inhale, followed by 5 seconds on the exhale, this even balance of breathing begins to move the heart rate rhythm into a nice coherent structure. This is important to note, as there is more communication traveling from the heart to the brain than the brain to the heart, and this influences the cognition of the brain. We measure this by measuring HRV (heart rate variability).
Step 2: Gratitude
After we have consciously turned our attention inward and slowing our breathing to a comfortable rate, we next bring forth a positive emotion, such as gratitude, joy, love, happiness etc. This enhancing the coherence in the heart rhythm pattern and brings coherence into the thinking areas of the brain. When we are in stress, we are having a negative effect on the brain and the rest of the body because we are moving the heart rhythm into a very incoherent rhythmic patten. Bringing forth a positive emotion does the opposite and brings coherence throughout the brain.
Step 3: Goal Reflection
Why do we want to bring forth a goal or something we are aiming towards? Think about this... If we are wanting to achieve something, no matter what it is, it may be something to do with our physical or mental health, or it may be something we are aiming towards in our professional career. Wouldn't we want to be in a stress free emotional state when thinking about something we are wanting to achieve? If we are in a state of stress, fear, anxiety, anger etc. and we then think of something we are wanting to achieve, we are conditioning ourselves from a place of negativity. Instead, we should move ourselves into a state of calmness and coherence (step 1 - heart focused breathing), then we should enhance that coherence and bring forth a positive emotional state (step 2 - gratitude), then we bring forth the thoughts and feelings of what we are wanting to achieve, now we are conditioning our goal with something that is coherent and positive. We also connect to our goal by using 'I am' statements. These are statements such as 'I am successful', 'I am vibrantly healthy', 'I am an incredible parent'. Whatever it is, doesn't matter, but if you're wanting to achieve it, then thinking of your goal through these steps is a powerful way to go about things.
Step 4: Meditation
After we have moved ourselves into the present moment, and consciously slowed our breathing to a comfortable rate, bringing coherence in our heart, body and brain. We connect to a positive emotion, moving us into a state of joy, love, happiness etc. this further increasing the coherence in the heart, impacting more so the entire body. We then connect to something we are wanting to achieve in our life, and then we allow ourselves to sit in this place. Meditation allows us to lower the sensors that connect us to the outer world (sense of sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching) and move inwards, this is when the true magic happens with the 4 to Restore technique.
There is no specific time limit to stay in this place of meditation, whether it's 2 minutes or 20 minutes, anything is better than nothing, and will have a measurable effect on your physical body.
Contact
© 2024 Cameron Oates, All Rights Reserved