Exploring Breathwork to Tackle Stress and Boost Mental Health with John Hall
- Exploring Breathwork to Tackle Stress and Boost Mental Health with John Hall Amy Taylor / John Hall 29:51
## Show Notes: Advancing With Amy / Mental Health Warrior & Neurospicy Mama
### Episode Title:Â Exploring Breathwork to Tackle Stress and Boost Mental Health, with John Hall
**Host:** Amy Â
**Guest:** John Hall
### Episode Highlights:
1. **Introduction to Belly Breathing**:
  – John Hall introduces the concept of belly breathing as a method to signal safety to the body, differentiating it from chest breathing used in dangerous situations.
2. **Breathing Exercise Demonstration**:
  – John demonstrates a calming breathing exercise: inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, then exhale through the mouth for 7 seconds. This helps tell the body it is safe.
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3. **Influence of Physical Posture**:
  – Discussing the impact of physical posture on mindset, John cites studies showing how smiling or adopting power poses can improve decision-making and confidence levels.
4. **Incorporating Breath Techniques**:
  – John details his use of breath techniques with clients:
   – **Tactical Breath** for immediate stress relief.
   – **Strategic Breath** for regular practice to expand stress tolerance.
   – **Transformational Breath** to challenge and dissolve limiting beliefs.
  – He shares a personal story of using breath work to address his own limiting beliefs.
5. **Democratizing Breathwork**:
  – John aims to democratize breathwork, sharing its benefits with a wide audience, not just entrepreneurs and executives.
6. **Physiological Aspect of Stress**:
  – Stress is presented as a full somatic experience. The episode dives into how stress affects the body, and John introduces his BPM (breath physiology mindset) technique for redirecting stress responses.
7. **Understanding Stress Responses**:
  – John outlines the two types of stress responses (hyper arousal and hypo arousal) and specifies that they are suitable in particular situations.
  – He discusses a UK study showing that forcing a smile for ten minutes can be as effective as Prozac for clinical depression.
8. **Impact of Stress on Body Functions**:
  – High stress can shut down non-essential functions like digestion and advanced critical thinking. John explains how chronic stress can lead to distress and harm health.
9. **Types of Stress**:
  – The episode categorizes stress into neutral stress, healthy stress (Eustress), and unhealthy stress (distress).
10. **Utilizing Breath Work to Signal Safety**:
  – Breath work techniques are highlighted for their ability to signal safety to the brain via the vagus nerve, promoting calmness and lowering stress levels.
11. **Challenging Limiting Beliefs**:
  – John discusses the importance of examining and challenging limiting beliefs and the long-term health benefits of changing the way we breathe.
12. **Resources and Further Learning**:
  – John introduces his course “Breathe Easier” available on his website for more comprehensive information.
  – Visit [JohnHallCoaching.com](http://JohnHallCoaching.com) for contact, one-on-one sessions, and course details.
### Conclusion
– Amy appreciates the rich conversation with John and encourages listeners to rate, review, and subscribe to the show.
**Don’t miss this informative episode! Learn how simple breath work can transform your stress response and mental well-being.**
—Keep Advancing Warriors!
Amy
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