Coherence Breathing

The long-term goal of regular practice is to make calm, coherence, parasympathetic activation, and the healing response more available even without conscious effort. A short daily breathing or coherence practice strengthens parasympathetic-associated cells, making them more likely to activate independently outside of practice. Consistent practice over 3 to 6 months may substantially change how the nervous system functions and how a person feels. The coherence breathing state produces increased brain oxygenation, improved circulation, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and synchronized brain waves. The recommended practice duration is 5 to 10 minutes, once or twice per day. Reciting the Ave Maria and the Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum both naturally synchronize breathing to about 5 to 6 breaths per minute. The longer-term value of breathing and coherence practices comes from neuroplasticity, not only from the immediate sensation during practice. Breathing at approximately 5 to 6 breaths per minute induces a coherence state in which multiple physiological systems work efficiently together. The coherence state disappears once breathing departs from the slow synchronized rhyth…