monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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you should live your life
Intermittent breaks and rests can help you disrupt long periods of unnecessary rigidity
Naps can work wonders in this regard During sleep and especially during REM sleep changes
occur in brain signaling that cause vastly reduced muscle tone known as atonia This is one
reason why short to minute naps can be so invigorating Short naps can also restore
alertness mental performance and learning ability As you nap you are even giving your heart
a brief rest which may be why naps have been associated with reduced coronary mortality
Just remember that naps of minutes or more often lead to sleep inertia impaired alertness
and tiredness When you feel depleted after the gym after an upsetting episode or whenever
you start to feel stiff and sore set your phones timer for minutes and allow yourself a
recuperative power nap Even if you dont fall asleep just giving yourself a few minutes to lay
down during the day provides a reprieve that can be highly beneficial in the long term
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Why dont we allow ourselves the microbreaks that our bodies call for Often it is due to
social pressures Propriety and intimidation related to the status hierarchy cause us to brace
then feel guilty about relaxing Chronic submissive signaling disallows you from claiming the
microbreaks that your muscles need When at a dinner date or in a board room we dont give
our neurotic holding patterns a single second of downtime Wellcomposed people give various
muscles involved in social displays microbreaks In fact we can conceptualize composure as skill
in microbreaking Of course even our breathing muscles require microbreaks
Unbrace Your Exhalation with the Passive Exhale
Diaphragmatic bracing is the central feature of distressed breathing and a core symptom of
trauma Remember Activity in which you held your hand like a claw and kept it tight as you
opened and closed it This is exactly what you are doing with your diaphragm when stressed
This kind of bracing could be an excellent exercise for the diaphragm if it only lasted for
seconds at a time but we tend to do it for hours or days at a time Continuously overtensing
the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles reduces their strength and range of motion
resulting in rapid shallow breathing
The inbreath requires muscular contraction but the outbreath does not It is not necessary
to do any muscular work during exhalation The positive pressure of air in your lungs is enough
to create the force This effortless return of the diaphragm to its resting position is called elastic
recoil The air naturally wants to be pressed out of your lungs as it would from a deflating
balloon Unfortunately most of us keep our breathing muscles tense during exhalation and this
ensnares us in a state of fight or flight Stopping this requires awareness and practice To
perform a passive exhalation all you need to do is let your breathing go limp while you are
exhaling After a minute or two of practicing this you should actually be able to feel the
diaphragm simmer down
Relaxation Exercise Unbracing the Diaphragm While Exhaling
Perform paced breathing for five minutes Take full inhalations and when you start each
exhalation let go of the diaphragm completely Every exhalation should be a completely
passive form of freefall throughout which all the breathing musculature is relaxed Imagine
the leisurely descent of a parachute You are not doing any work at all and it should proceed
at its own pace The air should be oozing out of your nostrils on its own Once you practice
this for five minutes you should be able to tell that you were holding your diaphragm like a
tense claw during your exhalation before Allowing the diaphragm to go limp during the
exhale is extremely important for its health because just like all muscles it needs periods of
inactivity to regenerate Because you never stop breathing its only chance for such a
microbreak is during the exhalation
Imagine that for some reason you are responsible for driving a car up and down a low
grade hill over and over again For a while you keep the engine on during the descent but
since the descent lasts for a few minutes you realize that you can turn the engine off put the
car into neutral and just let it coast without having to touch the brake the accelerator or the
Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy
wheel This is what a passive exhalation should feel like After you finish your inhale just take
the keys out of the ignition
Your inhalation is also braced it is just much harder to notice An inhalation requires the
contraction of the diaphragm down into the gut to create the vacuum that draws air into the
lungs But this contraction is often braced beyond what is necessary like the opening of a
tightly clenched hand This bracing impedes belly breathing and pulls the air into your upper
chest If you can interrupt it during an inhalation you will feel your belly coming uncoupled
from the bottom of your rib cage The passive exhale will help you with this uncoupling As you
learn to sense your diaphragmatic tension during the exhale you can teach yourself how to
lessen the unnecessary tension occurring during the inhale Once you have done this your
breathing will become much more efficient and less labored
It is worth mentioning that aside from bracing the inhale during the exhale many of us also
brace the exhale during the inhale This is when we keep the thoracic muscles responsible for
exhalation clenched while breathing in This is also completely unnecessary Spend some time
trying to notice these effects in your own breathing
After performing the passive exhalation for a few days a sense of irritation in your chest
will dissipate When this discomfort and inflammation is totally gone you will feel a profound
sense of relief The passive exhalation is so important that consider it the fifth tenet of optimal
breathing Expect it to increase the benefits you get from paced breathing The passive exhale is
such a fundamental routine that it is actually a reflexive response that all mammals use after a
stressor has come and gone Can you guess what it is
Once a stressful episode has resolved all species of mammal exhibit deep spontaneous
breaths They inhale very deeply so that they can then exhale passively to reset and restore
equilibrium in their autonomic nervous system We know this as sighing Even mice sigh and
believe that like us they do it to provide the diaphragm with a microbreak However if you
provide your diaphragm with a microbreak during every exhalation you wont feel the need to
sigh anymore The trick is to learn to exhale limply even after a shallow inhalation Sighing is
very frequent in people diagnosed with panic disorders used to sigh constantly but after
diaphragmatic retraining rarely catch myself doing it anymore Master the passive exhalation
because it is highly detraumatizing
Persistent Muscle Tension Creates Trigger Points
Excessive muscle tension and the absence of microbreaks eventually produce knots that can
be felt under your skin They occur all over the body They are often palpable raised nodules
tender to the touch producing a dull aching pain when pressed firmly In the medical
literature these knots are referred to as trigger points trigger sites or spasms and they cause
reductions in muscle mass flexibility strength and endurance They are hyperirritated spots
in taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers created by chronic muscle overload They usually involve
a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers within a larger muscle bundle
Many scientists refer to these knots as myofascial trigger points The myo is derived
from the Greek word for muscle while fascial refers to the tough outer lining that keeps
muscles in place fascia is a type of connective tissue that forms a continuous scaffold around
all the muscles and tendons in the body Myofascial trigger points are small patches of muscle
and fascia that pull together in an isolated spasm They are different from wholemuscle
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
spasms like a charley horse or cramp which are more transient have a sudden onset and
involve hard contraction of the entire muscle Although they can contribute to cramping trigger
points are different in that they are longlasting have a gradual onset and involve partial

you should live your life

Intermittent breaks and rests can help you disrupt long periods of unnecessary rigidity

Naps can work wonders in this regard During sleep and especially during REM sleep changes

occur in brain signaling that cause vastly reduced muscle tone known as atonia This is one

reason why short to minute naps can be so invigorating Short naps can also restore

alertness mental performance and learning ability As you nap you are even giving your heart

a brief rest which may be why naps have been associated with reduced coronary mortality

Just remember that naps of minutes or more often lead to sleep inertia impaired alertness

and tiredness When you feel depleted after the gym after an upsetting episode or whenever

you start to feel stiff and sore set your phones timer for minutes and allow yourself a

recuperative power nap Even if you dont fall asleep just giving yourself a few minutes to lay

down during the day provides a reprieve that can be highly beneficial in the long term

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

Why dont we allow ourselves the microbreaks that our bodies call for Often it is due to

social pressures Propriety and intimidation related to the status hierarchy cause us to brace

then feel guilty about relaxing Chronic submissive signaling disallows you from claiming the

microbreaks that your muscles need When at a dinner date or in a board room we dont give

our neurotic holding patterns a single second of downtime Wellcomposed people give various

muscles involved in social displays microbreaks In fact we can conceptualize composure as skill

in microbreaking Of course even our breathing muscles require microbreaks

Unbrace Your Exhalation with the Passive Exhale

Diaphragmatic bracing is the central feature of distressed breathing and a core symptom of

trauma Remember Activity in which you held your hand like a claw and kept it tight as you

opened and closed it This is exactly what you are doing with your diaphragm when stressed

This kind of bracing could be an excellent exercise for the diaphragm if it only lasted for

seconds at a time but we tend to do it for hours or days at a time Continuously overtensing

the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles reduces their strength and range of motion

resulting in rapid shallow breathing

The inbreath requires muscular contraction but the outbreath does not It is not necessary

to do any muscular work during exhalation The positive pressure of air in your lungs is enough

to create the force This effortless return of the diaphragm to its resting position is called elastic

recoil The air naturally wants to be pressed out of your lungs as it would from a deflating

balloon Unfortunately most of us keep our breathing muscles tense during exhalation and this

ensnares us in a state of fight or flight Stopping this requires awareness and practice To

perform a passive exhalation all you need to do is let your breathing go limp while you are

exhaling After a minute or two of practicing this you should actually be able to feel the

diaphragm simmer down

Relaxation Exercise Unbracing the Diaphragm While Exhaling

Perform paced breathing for five minutes Take full inhalations and when you start each

exhalation let go of the diaphragm completely Every exhalation should be a completely

passive form of freefall throughout which all the breathing musculature is relaxed Imagine

the leisurely descent of a parachute You are not doing any work at all and it should proceed

at its own pace The air should be oozing out of your nostrils on its own Once you practice

this for five minutes you should be able to tell that you were holding your diaphragm like a

tense claw during your exhalation before Allowing the diaphragm to go limp during the

exhale is extremely important for its health because just like all muscles it needs periods of

inactivity to regenerate Because you never stop breathing its only chance for such a

microbreak is during the exhalation

Imagine that for some reason you are responsible for driving a car up and down a low

grade hill over and over again For a while you keep the engine on during the descent but

since the descent lasts for a few minutes you realize that you can turn the engine off put the

car into neutral and just let it coast without having to touch the brake the accelerator or the

Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy

wheel This is what a passive exhalation should feel like After you finish your inhale just take

the keys out of the ignition

Your inhalation is also braced it is just much harder to notice An inhalation requires the

contraction of the diaphragm down into the gut to create the vacuum that draws air into the

lungs But this contraction is often braced beyond what is necessary like the opening of a

tightly clenched hand This bracing impedes belly breathing and pulls the air into your upper

chest If you can interrupt it during an inhalation you will feel your belly coming uncoupled

from the bottom of your rib cage The passive exhale will help you with this uncoupling As you

learn to sense your diaphragmatic tension during the exhale you can teach yourself how to

lessen the unnecessary tension occurring during the inhale Once you have done this your

breathing will become much more efficient and less labored

It is worth mentioning that aside from bracing the inhale during the exhale many of us also

brace the exhale during the inhale This is when we keep the thoracic muscles responsible for

exhalation clenched while breathing in This is also completely unnecessary Spend some time

trying to notice these effects in your own breathing

After performing the passive exhalation for a few days a sense of irritation in your chest

will dissipate When this discomfort and inflammation is totally gone you will feel a profound

sense of relief The passive exhalation is so important that consider it the fifth tenet of optimal

breathing Expect it to increase the benefits you get from paced breathing The passive exhale is

such a fundamental routine that it is actually a reflexive response that all mammals use after a

stressor has come and gone Can you guess what it is

Once a stressful episode has resolved all species of mammal exhibit deep spontaneous

breaths They inhale very deeply so that they can then exhale passively to reset and restore

equilibrium in their autonomic nervous system We know this as sighing Even mice sigh and

believe that like us they do it to provide the diaphragm with a microbreak However if you

provide your diaphragm with a microbreak during every exhalation you wont feel the need to

sigh anymore The trick is to learn to exhale limply even after a shallow inhalation Sighing is

very frequent in people diagnosed with panic disorders used to sigh constantly but after

diaphragmatic retraining rarely catch myself doing it anymore Master the passive exhalation

because it is highly detraumatizing

Persistent Muscle Tension Creates Trigger Points

Excessive muscle tension and the absence of microbreaks eventually produce knots that can

be felt under your skin They occur all over the body They are often palpable raised nodules

tender to the touch producing a dull aching pain when pressed firmly In the medical

literature these knots are referred to as trigger points trigger sites or spasms and they cause

reductions in muscle mass flexibility strength and endurance They are hyperirritated spots

in taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers created by chronic muscle overload They usually involve

a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers within a larger muscle bundle

Many scientists refer to these knots as myofascial trigger points The myo is derived

from the Greek word for muscle while fascial refers to the tough outer lining that keeps

muscles in place fascia is a type of connective tissue that forms a continuous scaffold around

all the muscles and tendons in the body Myofascial trigger points are small patches of muscle

and fascia that pull together in an isolated spasm They are different from wholemuscle

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

spasms like a charley horse or cramp which are more transient have a sudden onset and

involve hard contraction of the entire muscle Although they can contribute to cramping trigger

points are different in that they are longlasting have a gradual onset and involve partial