Written by Gustavo Oliveira

A study started in 1991 by Jack Feldman, professor of neurology at UCLA, and later by Mark Krasnow and Kevin Yackle showed that breathing affects the mind and its emotional states. They found a neural circuit that causes us to be anxious when we are breathing rapidly, and calm when we are breathing slowly.

With that said, what impact does the depth and rhythm of breathing have on your mind? If it does have any effect, can it help you improve your business or your job performance? The answer is, yes.

For 12 years, I have been researching, training and teaching more than 2,000 students worldwide, including high-achieving entrepreneurs, corporate executives and elite athletes on how to reach their fullest potential by developing their body and brain to perform at its peak potential.

I adopted a methodology called DeRose Method to train my students. This method encompasses a collection of more than 50 respiratory techniques that bring a powerful impact on mind’s ability to function better, in addition to an increase in energy levels of the practitioner.

In summary, the primary impacts of proper breathing include;

• The ability to change your immediate emotions. Changing the rhythm of the breathing can have the ability to change our immediate emotions. When you have a better control of your emotions, you can keep them in balance with rational thinking, allowing you to make better business decisions.
• Increase in concentration and focus. When we establish a deep and well-paced breathing the instabilities of our consciousness and our mind decrease, favoring concentration and focus.
• Increase your productivity. When you gain control over your emotions and increase your ability to focus, and you will naturally have a better business performance, due to the increase in your productivity.
• Develop better relationships. As a result of managing your emotions better, you will have the ability to maintain professional relationships with the team, customers, and suppliers.

Therefore, training breathing techniques and applying them to your daily life will positively affect your brain activity. With practice, in time, you will acquire the ability to accelerate or slow down your breaths according to your needs. With an increased emotional intelligence, a better focus and more mental resilience you will perform better at work, realizing your potential.