Learn the box breathing (sometimes called tactical breathing) practice – a super simple breathing technique developed by an ex Navy SEAL to help stay calm during the chaos of combat! If this simple technique can help soldiers stay calm during war, there’s a high chance it can be used to help overcome your pre-performance anxieties and stage fright! You don’t want to miss this video…
Full Video Transcript
Narrator (00:00):
About to sing, act, give a speech, or perform in front of an audience of people. No matter if it's a big crowd of complete strangers or a room full of work colleagues who you know, if you're like 90% of humans, you will probably have a big dose of anxiety, nervousness, and a tinge of fear hitting you as the clock ticks down to go time. This fear in advance of performing is called stage fright. And if you're looking for someone to blame for it, blame our ancestors. Humans have evolved to have a stress response when danger lurks around the corner. Whether that danger is staring down a wild animal who likely sees us as his next meal, or preparing to give a speech where we may face the mild embarrassment of jumbling our words. Our brains can't really tell the difference between these two threats. And in preparation to stand and fight or run for our lives...
(00:51):
the brain floods the body with stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline makes our heart rate increase, blood pressure shoots up, and we may start sweating and experiencing racing thoughts and other performance anxiety symptoms. So what do you do if you just want to deliver a good performance, but all these stage fright and anxiety symptoms are getting in your way? Some performers use medications like beta blockers to help them manage their stage fright, but as we talk about in other videos on our channel about beta blockers like propranolol and metoprolol, these are not long-term solutions and come with potential risks and side effects as any prescription drug does. Second to our natural performance anxiety supplement called PerformZen which you can find a link for in the description, there's one little known trade secret that performers have been using for decades to help with their worst bouts of anxiety and stage fright.
(01:45):
It's called box breathing, but is often referred to as belly breathing, Diaphragmatic breathing, or tactical breathing due to its use by Navy SEAL soldiers to stay calm and slow down breathing while thinking clearly in combat situations. What is box breathing? Box breathing is a powerful but simple relaxation technique developed by an ex Navy SEAL named Mark Divine, who designed it to help return breathing to normal rhythms after a stressful experience or whenever you feel anxiety levels rising. To describe it simply, box breathing involves breathing in and out and holding the breath. And I know that sounds simple, but done right, Box breathing is an excellent tool to help clear the mind, relax the body, and improve focus. Perfect for combating stage fright before a performance. Why box breathing works. In Mark Divine's bestselling book entitled Unbeatable Mind, he shares his box breathing technique along with a number of meditation and concentration techniques that he has learned or developed through studying such systems as Ashtanga Yoga, Seido Karate, and other eastern practices.
(02:58):
Divine says that while we're all essentially born knowing how to breathe correctly, it is a skill that fades as we age. And by adulthood, most people are only using one third of their total lung capacity, often taking three times as many breaths as they should. Breath work like Divine's box breathing technique is an important tool to keep our bodies connected to our mind. Think about it, Breathing is both an involuntary control mechanism as well as a voluntary one. It can shift between being piloted manually or being left on autopilot. Divine says that he first learned to control his breathing while practicing martial arts during Navy SEAL training and the techniques he was taught proved invaluable later on during the chaos of combat. Box breathing, which divine developed after leaving the SEALs got its name simply because there are four parts or sides to the practice, like a box.
(03:54):
It's something that can be done anywhere and anytime so long as you're not performing a highly complex task. Divine likes to practice box breathing in the morning before a workout, while standing in line while he's stuck in traffic or whenever else he can. It helps slow down the breathing rate and deepen concentration. When performing box breathing, even just for five minutes, expect to be left with a deeply calm body and an alert focused state of mind. How does box breathing work? To begin the practice of box breathing, there are only a couple of steps. For step one, expel all of the air from your chest and keep your lungs empty for a four count hold. For step two, Perform an inhalation through the nose for four counts. For step three, Hold the air in your lungs for a four count hold. And when you hold your breath, do not clamp down and create back pressure.
(04:52):
Rather maintain an expansive, open feeling even though you are not inhaling. And finally, for step four, when ready, release the hold and exhale smoothly through your nose for four counts. These four simple steps are one circuit of the box breathing practice. The creator of this exercise, Mark Divine, recommends that you repeat this cycle for at least five minutes in order to get the full effect. However, a lot of the time you don't need to set a fixed time limit. Simply repeat the cycle until you feel the effects kicking in. I found that a good approach is to do one practice session for five to eight minutes a day, then do a few, one or two minute spot drills as opportunities present themselves during the day. A week or two of that, and the exercise will feel quite natural. And you may find you start a cycle of box breathing automatically the next time your anxiety and stress levels are rising.
(05:48):
Box breathing with this 4-4-4-4 ratio has a neutral energetic effect. It's not going to charge you up or put you into a sleepy, relaxed state, but box breathing will definitely make you very alert and very grounded, ready for action. So the next time you have a performance or high anxiety situation coming up, add this box breathing practice to your arsenal and see how much it can help you manage your stage fright symptoms. And for an added cognitive boost, consider giving our performance anxiety supplement PerformZen a try. It's an all-natural supplement designed to help you perform better under pressure. PerformZen will help you quickly bring on a state of calmness, as well as giving you a slight mental edge and sharpness that can really come in handy when performing in front of an audience. To find out all about PerformZen, check out our website using the link in the description or Google PerformZen and we are the first result. And if you want to learn more strategies and solutions for overcoming stage fright, click that subscribe button to make sure you see all of the new videos we'll be releasing in the next few weeks. You can also check out these other videos on our channel. Good luck fighting stage fright, and as always, break a leg.