Resonance or Coherence Breathing Can Help You Relax and Strengthen Your Immune System

Decades ago, Luciano Bernardi, MD, PhD, of the University of Pavia in Italy studied the rhythms of autonomous body functions: heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, blood flow to the brain and so on. 

We already knew that when the biorhythms of these body functions are in sync, that’s an indicator of good health. So he studied what happens when they become temporarily disorganized and how they return to balance.

He had subjects perform various mental tasks, such as counting, while measuring their vital signs. He got the idea to establish a sort of baseline or neutral condition by having them say something they knew so well, it required no mental effort.

This study took place in a deeply Catholic area of Italy, so all the subjects knew the Ave Maria. What’s more, they were in the habit of reciting it alternatively with a priest.

So, while the priest said it, they inhaled. They then recited it as they exhaled.

It takes around 5 to 6 seconds to say, so the subjects were inhaling for a count of 5-6, then exhaling for a count of 5-6. That’s generally six breaths per minute.

As they did so, their biorhythms began to shift . . . they all lined up, amplifying each other, resonating with each other. Brain, heart, nerve impulses and breath created a pattern, a biological coherence. Everything reinforced each other mutually, maximizing their biological effectiveness.

Dr. Bernardi then tested this on yogis and monks in Asia. Many of them learn to recite the mantra “Om mani padme hum.”

Whether or not you believe it has mystic power, it takes around 5-6 seconds of exhale to say.

Pause.

Inhale 5-6 seconds, and you’ve replicated the health benefits of reciting Ave Maria.

This lowered stress – which we know improves immune system function.

It reduced chronic inflammation – a powerful driver of cancer.

It also helped regulate their blood sugar levels.

You don’t need to recite anything (unless you want to).

Just sit in a comfortable position. Relax.

Inhale gently for 5 to 6 seconds – through your nostrils.

Exhale gently for 5 to 6 seconds – through your nostrils.

Think about something pleasant. Or just pay attention to your breathing or your nostrils or any other “mindfulness” technique you like – though you don’t have to try to control your thoughts to benefit from the breathing pattern. It’s not meditation. Stick to the count.

You can find YouTube videos with chimes to mark the inhale and exhale.

Keep going for twenty minutes, once a day – or whenever you feel stressed or anxious.

What’s great is you can do it in public – nobody will notice you’re breathing in any special way.

Do this whenever you need to calm down. While you sit in a dentist’s chair. When you’re stopped by a red light. When you’re stressed or anxious or feel like reaching for an adult beverage or junk comfort food.

If everybody knew about this, the market for over the counter equivalents would go away.

If I had an active cancer diagnosis, I’d shoot for doing it at least an hour a day.