The Rhythm of Calm
Wayne Jencke is the product development manager of Innate Intelligence, an Australian based business that specialises in resilience programs based on Realistic Mindfulness. His ACCEPTional(TM) Resilience coaching and workshops use Resilience Builder(TM) software that provides real-time feedback on levels of mindfulness. His programs are now delivered by affiliates throughout the Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.
In The Resilience Factor, authors Reivich and Shatte describe calming and focusing as one of seven essential skills for negotiating life’s inevitable obstacles. Their description of a calm and focused mindset is much Bishop’s research definition of mindfulness:
Mindfulness – a mental state of calm awareness of the present moment, marked by acceptance, openness and curiosity toward your thoughts and feelings, rather than judgments of them.
Compelling new research suggests that mindfulness might be a foundation skill of resilience. Researchers found that people who were taught a short program in mindfulness meditation were more able to reframe negative events in a positive light (Garland, Gaylord & Park, 2009).
Meditation is a hot topic in positive psychology. In her recent article about the CAPP conference, Elaine O’Brien noted “it was standing room only for a panel led by Felicia Huppert called Mind Power: The Science of Mindfulness Meditation.” Barbara Fredrickson also raised awareness about meditation and positive psychology in her 2008 research showing that loving kindness meditation increases positive emotion (Fredrickson et al , 2008).
Although there is considerable interest in mindfulness, many people believe that mindfulness is difficult to learn and too time-consuming, and they may be disconcerted by the “new agey” feeling associated with it. But the good news is that by focusing on the science behind mindfulness you can quickly and easily develop a mindfulness practice that will have a profound impact on your life.
Reivich and Shatte do not directly mention mindfulness meditation in their book, but offer several techniques grounded in mindfulness traditions.
One is controlled breathing, which involves maintaining a focus on the breath while breathing deep and rhythmically. This style of breathing is a starting point for many meditative practices.
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There is a very good reason for this – slow rhythmic breathing activates the physiological calming response. The calming response is the part of the autonomic nervous system that enables you to recover quickly from stressors (see Balance and Health). It is increasingly used in psychology research as a measure of positivity (Oveis et al, 2009), emotional regulation, and resilience (Katz & Gottman, 1997; Britton et al, 2008). |
Researchers have found that breathing over a 10 second cycle maximizes the calming response (Lehrer et al 2003). This optimal rhythm involves taking one breath every 10 seconds and spending a little more time exhaling than inhaling. This rhythm will vary slightly from person to person. For example, as a taller person, my optimal breathing rate is closer to 15 seconds.
Research related to particular meditation practices suggests a connection between reciting mantras and this 10 second cycle. For example Italian researchers have found that reciting the rosary or a yoga mantra in their original spoken language promotes a 10 second breathing cycle (Bernardi et al;, 2001). Similarly, Transcendental Meditation — made popular by the Beatles and reputedly America’s most popular meditative practice– involves repeating a mantra over a 10 to 15 second cycle. Lehrer (2009) has found that tensing and relaxing muscles over a 10 second cycle also maximizes the calming response.
In my resilience training programs I provide people with software that measures their levels of the calming response. The software allows people to identify their optimal breathing rate and then fine tune a technique that maximises their calming response. Some people find a mantra effective, while others find a visualization technique more effective.
Breath training software has also been used to treat depression (Karavides et al, 2007), asthma (Lehrer et al, 2007), fibromyalgia (Hassett et al, 2007), anger and anxiety (Reiner, 2008) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Zucker et al , 2009).
When people breathe in a way that maximizes their calming response (their optimal breathing rate), their heart rate varies in a smooth regular pattern over time. It seems that there is a rhythm to being calm.
References
Bernardi L, Sleight P, Bandinelli G, Cencetti S, Fattorini L, Wdowczyc-Szulc J & Lagi A. (2001). Effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: comparative study. British Medical Journal, 323(7327), 1446-9.
Bishop, R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S.,Carlson, L., Anderson, N., Carmody, J., Segal, Z., Abbey, S.,
Speca, M., Velting, D. & Devins, G. (no date). Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition. Retrieved May 10 2009 from http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~pgoldin/Buddhism/Mindfulness%20A%20Propsed%20Operationa%20Definition%20Revised%20May%202003.doc
Britton, A., Singh-Manoux, A., Hnatkova, K., Malik, M., Marmot, M.G., & Shipley, M. (2008). The association between heart rate variability and cognitive impairment in middle-aged men and women: The Whitehall II cohort study. Neuroepidemiology 31 (2), 115-121.
Fredrickson, B.L., Coffey, K.A., Pek, J., Cohn, M.A., & Finkel, S.M. (2008). Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-Kindness Meditation, Build Consequential Personal Resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1045-1062.
Garland, E., Gaylord, S., & Park, J. (2009). The Role of Mindfulness in Positive Reappraisal. Explore, 5, 37-44.
Karavidas, M. K., Lehrer, P. M., Vaschillo, E., Vaschillo, B., Marin, H., Buyske, S., et al. (2007). Preliminary results of an open-label study of heart rate variability biofeedback for the treatment of major depression. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 32, 19–30.
Katz, L.F. & Gottman, J.M. Buffering children from marital conflict and dissolution (1997). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Child Psychology, 26(2), 157-171.
Lehrer, P. M., Vaschillo, E., Vaschillo, B., Lu, S.-E., Eckberg, D. L., Edelberg, R., et al. (2003). Heart rate variability biofeedback increases baroreflex gain and peak expiratory flow. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 796–805.
Lehrer, P,.Vaschillo, E., Trost, Z., & France, C (2009) Effects of rhythmical muscle tension at 0.1 Hz on cardiovascular resonance and the baroreflex. Biological Psychology 81, 24–30
Oveis, C., Adam B.; Gruber, J.; Shiota, M., Haidt, J.; & Keltner, D. (2009). Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia is associated with tonic positive emotionality. Emotion, 9(2), 265-270.
Reiner, R. (2008). Integrating a Portable Biofeedback Device into Clinical Practice for Patients with Anxiety Disorders: Results of a Pilot Study. Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback 33, 55–61
Reivich, K, & Shattẻ, A. (2002). The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles. New York: Broadway Books.
Zucker, T., Samuelson, K., Muench, F., Greenberg, M. & Gevirtz, R. (2009). The Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Biofeedback on Heart Rate Variability and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Pilot Study. Applied Psychophysiological Biofeedback.
Images:
Liquid light (water washing against rocks) courtesy of Mel B.
And thanks for the thumbs up!
This is a good article about the many benefits of meditation. However, Transcendental Meditation is a little bit different than what is described here. If you are interested in Transcendental Meditation please click on my name and read my article “How To Learn Transcendental Meditation”. Peace to All!
Hello, I love your newsletter and love that you addressed this issue with the article that I read carefully. I would like to share a link to the Isha System, which has changed my life into one of more and more mindfulness, anchored in the present moment, healing my self and expanding my consciousness in a very gentle and loving manner. Please take a look: http://www.isha.com/movie With much appreciation and love, Cathy Urroz (Mexico)
Keith – how is TM different?
Years ago I leant TM. I dropped it because I didn’t find it that effective and couldn’t be bothered with 20 minutes twice a day.
Many years later I found some interesting research that explained why TM can be effective. Bottom line is that it involves learning to recite a mantra over a 10 to 15 second cycle. I’m sure there are other nuances -but these are the essentials. The mantra is a focusing tool for our thoughts. The 10 to 15 second cycle activates the calming response.
Mantra’s are amazingly effective for many people (not everyone) – but it can be any word that is personally significant. See http://www.innate-intelligence.com.au/blog/?p=425
Cathy,
I’m glad the Isha system worked for you. I checked Isha out – she’s an Australian as well.
Can I just say that most of the people I coach wouldn’t be comfortable with the “New agey” feel of the Isha system. Way to esoteric!
I guess that’s why I prefer to focus the science that underlies mindfulness. I’m not sure if they get the profound benefit that you talk about but it seems to have a positive impact on their lives.
So I guess anything is better than nothing
Thanks for this interesting article. I have been doing Transcendental Meditation for years and your description of the technique is incorrect. The technique of TM is also different from how MJ describes it in his comment above. You can find our the exact details of the practice from a certified teacher of TM in your area. The web site http://www.tm.org is a wonderful resource of the great benefits of TM that have been thoroughly researched.
Jammyman,
Can you tell me how your TM technique works?
It’s interesting that there are so many perspectives on TM. I guess that’s why I look to the science behind it – why does it work?
When practicing the TM technique the mind quiets itself and settles down to a place of inner coherence and calm. Scientists can observe increased coherence of the brain waves in people who are practicing TM. This coherence and the resulting changes in brain functioning have been associated with improved memory and improved problem solving skills, as well as physiological benefits, including decreased blood pressure and decreased stress. This description is just scratching the surface. You can read more at the website mentioned by Jammyman, and see lots of the research on TM at: http://www.truthabouttm.org.
Wow, there are a lot of responses on TM. That’s good in my opinion because I practice it and really like it. But, there are no 10-15 seconds repetition with TM, that would require a focus that is inconsistent with achieving the state of deep rest and coherence brought on by transcendence; maybe you could give it another try, WJ, you never know! But it would be best to speak with a teacher, the info is probably on http://www.tm.org.
WJ, the mechanics of TM, as I understand them, are the use of a mantra to facilitate the natural tendency of the mind to go settle down to a quieter state. The mantra is a vehicle in Transcendental Meditation, but not the focus. In fact, a person might get lost in thought and not think the mantra for most of the period of meditation, but that’s correct practice. Scientists have characterized it as a wakeful hypometabolic state. Just sitting there passively letting the mind take its own direction seems to elicit a state of deep relaxation in the physiology. And of course there are many studies published which characterize in detail the physiological changes, including brain wave patterns, biochemistry, metabolic rate, and more. And this combination of a quiet mind and relaxed physiology has been shown scientifically to have many benefits outside of meditation. Most significant may be the NIH-funded randomized-controlled trials on hypertension and cardiovascular disease that have been published in major medical journals.
Like WJ I learnt TM many years ago. I still use a mantra meditation but I’ve changed the way I use the mantra as I now time it to my breathing. It seems to work better for me.
I also think that people need to be know that TM costs more than $2000 to learn. There are other ways that are just as effective and far less expensive.
As a starting point have a look at http://www.expertvillage.com/video/133997_mantra-meditation.htm
Thanx chilled – your observations about breathing coincide with what I was suggesting in my article.
Out of interest what is rate at which you breathe with your mantra meditation?
By the way did you notice the timing of the breathing cycle in the video link that you sent.
Thank you for a good article Wayne.
Can I ask what software you use for the heart variability measurements? I’ve used freeze-framer and a portable device called stress-eraser – however I’d like something a little more scientific and less proprietary, and PC based.
Thanks
Mark
Wayne,
I love how in your articles you give concrete, specific research to back up your points. And at the same time that your article is chock-full of research, it also repeats the 10-second breathing concept steadily and regularly, so that I found myself doing 10-second breathing while reading your article. Thank you!
My best,
Senia
Thanks for the article Wayne and the practical suggestions – I’ve been looking at various devices – em wave, respErate – as I believe the feedback they provide can be useful.
Apart from that how do you ‘know’ when you have elicited a calming/relaxation response?
That said I suppose people have learned to meditate quite happily without the gizmos for a few thousand years and learning to listen to yourself unaided might be an important part of the process?
Wayne,
Thank you for this article. I have taken yoga classes in the past and have forgotten until now how useful they were and how much I need to incorporate this back into my life.
I assist a young woman who has mild mental retardation and ADHD in her daily activities and recently her mom had her go to a private yoga session in order for her to learn breathing techniques and poses that would help her relax and wind down at night before bed. Unfortunately night time is when she is the most “wired” because of all the activities throughout that day that she replays in her mind and also because her ADHD medicine is wearing off. I was wondering if you had heard of these techniques used for situations such as this and how effective it is.
Thank you,
Krystal
Krystal – software similar to what I use has been used to work with people with ADHD – see http://www.heartmath.org/education/heartmath-research-the-effects-on-children-with-adhd.html.
The heartmath technqiues are essenially breathing techniques
I also found a study on yoga and ADHD which concluded
“The findings from this pilot study demonstrate that yoga can be an effective complementary or concomitant treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The study advocates further research into the impact of yoga or body-oriented therapies on the prevention and treatment of ADHD.”
Hope this helps
Mark2 – I have many people who attend my workshops who are experienced meditators – they all comment that the software would have made it far easier to learn to meditate.
So what does eliciting the relaxation response feel like – for me its the same as the post exercise high. But everyone is different.