Disclaimer: I have tested a number of different devices and resources and I only recommend what I have proven to work well in my experience. When a tool or resource that I love to recommend offers an affiliate program, I enroll and put their links on my site. When someone makes a purchase through links on my site, I receive a small commission. Businesses who have an affiliate program in place, offer a small commission given to those who help to promote what they offer and they consider this an advertising cost.
Biofeedback
Most people aren’t aware of how biofeedback relates to the breath. With the Inner Balance App, you can see how the two phases of the breath create a state of coherence between head and heart.
Coherence and Heart Rate Variability
Most people believe that the heartbeat is steady like a metronome from beat to beat and only speeding or slowing based on activity. The truth is that there is variation in heart rate from breath to breath and this is known as Heart Rate Variability or HRV.
I love doing training with this app as it helps to expand the ability to activate both the Sympathetic Nervous System as well as the Parasympathetic Nervous System. I see the Sympathetic Nervous System which is activated by the inhale and helps to speed up our energy as an expression of the Sacred Masculine. I see the Parasympathetic Nervous System which is activated with the exhale which helps to relax and soothe our system as an expression of the Sacred Feminine. Often, there is a bias where people see one as good and one as bad, but integration is about being able to balance both.
When I am in an open and joyful state, my heart rate will easily speed up on the inhale and easily slow down on the exhale and the difference between the two is usually over 30 beats per minute difference. The more I am in a state of love and gratitude, I will see my coherence as shown in the app increase. It’s like doing a workout but with emotional coherence and resilience instead.
People with a high HRV score show high resilience and a low score is one of the key early indicators of mental, emotional or physical challenges before they manifest physically.
The Institute of Heartmath has come up with amazing tools to allow people to see their HRV as well as tools to teach people to raise their HRV score. There is a smartphone app that uses a sensor which is plenty for most people and for researchers and health professionals, they offer a dedicated desktop version.
Inner Balance Mobile App
I love that this app makes it simple to get into a coherent state by showing a breath pacer to help get into physical coherence and a numerical score is shown to help deepen that coherence. You can recall a memory that evokes emotions like love or gratitude and see the score increase and just doing this for about 5 minutes is enough to experience a positive shift.
I have the bluetooth model where an ear sensor clips on my ear and a small transmitter clips on my shirt and sends signals to the app wirelessly. I can be doing dishes or writing email and have the sound tell me if I am in a high, medium or low state of coherence so I can practice staying coherent while doing other things. I also enjoy sitting and focusing on the app and seeing how high I can make my HRV score go by feeling strong positive emotions.
Click the image below to learn more about Inner Balance
Pulse Oximeter
One essential tool for working with extended breath holds is a Pulse Oximeter. This can help you stay within a healthy range of low blood oxygen saturation. I have used one by Nonin for years and it has helped me get to the right level of hypoxia to stimulate an adaptive response while still being safe. That one is no longer available but in researching them, I found the Innovo Deluxe iP900AP Fingertip Pulse Oximeter. It has incredibly high reviews, is less expensive than my Nonin plus has a Plethysmograph and Perfusion Index to help ensure accurate readings.
I was so impressed that I ordered one to test it out and compare it with the one that I have!
The Relaxator
One of the favorite devices I have come across is called The Relaxator. It was created by Anders Olsson and provides a way to do resistance training for your breathing muscles, enhances oxygenation and through extending the exhale stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system reducing stress. It can be used in two ways: It can be set to a low or moderate level and used while doing any other type of activity like cleaning, answering emails or it can be set to a high level for a short duration to powerfully work your breathing muscles.
I’ve been doing biofeedback for years and one key area is slowing the breath as a way to balance the nervous system. The challenge is to remember to breathe in this way while doing other things. One amazing benefit of using The Relaxator is that by adjusting the resistance you can automatically slow the exhale which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the home of”fight or flight” and the parasympathetic nervous system is the home of “rest and digest”. The remarkable thing is that it does this while promoting oxygenation, balancing CO2 levels in the blood and also strengthening the breathing muscles at the same time!
Click Here to Read more about The Relaxator
The Love Tuner
The Love Tuner is a simple and brilliant idea that they made simple and easy to use. It is a necklace that has a removable piece that when blown through produces a pitch of 528Hz. This frequency is the Solfeggio Frequency assoicated with love.
The other key benefit of using this tool is that it produces an extended exhale. The inhale activates the sympathetic nervous system which is often called the “fight and flight” system. The exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system and is also called the “rest and digest” nervous system.
By extending the exhale we can help the system relax and shift into the parasympathetic. Blowing through The Love Tuner gives a double benefit of helping us shift into the parasympathetic nervous system and also sounding the frequency of love at 528Hz. I have one, use it multiple times per day and love it!