For the past year, I have discussed on many occasions Breath.
Breath resides in our War Chest as a tool which can be utilized to great effect upon the Warpath.
You may wish to review previous posts, especially part six of the Support Elements Series in which I explored achieving Victory through breath.
The Burden of Command
As a leader, you bear many burdens. These burdens may be both perceived and real. Nevertheless, if unaddressed, they can halt your progression.
You may feel that your burdens are the result of others incompetence or indifference. But I have already addressed that we cannot always rely on others whom possess their own Free Will.
Ultimately, your burdens come from your inability to Delegate and Regulate.
Failure to delegate results in becoming catatonic.
Failure to delegate will result in immense stress placed upon you. When you fail to delegate, you now must do your job and another job (the one you appointed to someone else). You may be able to balance the two for a time, but eventually one or both jobs will suffer.
– Delegation: Creating a Post-war Society
During the Art of Breath seminar I attended last year, Rob Wilson said that, Your ownership of the position depends on your ability to breathe in that position. He was referring to exercise, below a loaded barbell or in a potentially compromising position.
But that word Ownership should really stand out to us now.
This imbalance of prioritization and communication within a team mirrors the muscular imbalance identified in shallow-breathing:
…shallow breaths put the body into a chronic sympathetic state, which causes stress and anxiety. It prevents individuals from proper digestion of foods and the vital healing processes of deep sleep which occur in the parasympathetic state.
– Overcoming Barriers to Breath
Just as a leader of people must continue to delegate responsibility, the body must continually regulate by breathing efficiently – drawing oxygen deep into the ends of the respiratory system.
As stated before, remember that stress can be a good thing. Evoking a sympathetic response is a way we can utilize breath as a tool to get work done. But a chronic-sympathetic state of being, can be detrimental to one’s health just as a leader who takes upon themselves all the responsibility will become burnt out and ineffective.
Immediate Action Drill
The following drill should be taken slow. Be aware that this exercise can evoke a sympathetic response, which can produce alarm bells and heightened senses. The intensity of the response can be adjusted by following through with the entire exercise.
Set a timer for 2 minutes and breathe powerfully and rapidly through the nose. In-out, in-out, in-out, again and again for the full two minutes.
You should remain standing for this part of the exercise with your feet firmly on the ground – resist the urge to stomp your feet.
Following the 2 minute hyperventilation, lie down on your back.
You will then make “triangles” with your breath. Inhale nasally 5 seconds and then exhale nasally for 5 seconds, followed by another 5 second inhalation. These three breaths constitute one “triangle.” Do not hold your breath between breaths. Complete 9 triangles and you’re finished.
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