The One Technique That Changed My Life...
The Turning Feral Daily Journal - Day 12
Day 12: As an ex-suburbanite who traveled way too much around the world, I was surprised to find out that some of the traits I picked up to deal with that chaotic lifestyle could translate well to living in the woods. In particular, I am talking about box breathing.
I was first introduced to this technique in 2010 when I was living in Vienna, Austria as a young guy working at a big multi-national organization in an anti-terrorism unit. An Austrian police officer from my crossfit gym showed me this crazy guy on his phone, Mark Devine (founder of SEALfit), doing these deep breathing techniques and something he called combat yoga. Well, without thinking much of it, I paid the money for a SEALfit membership just to learn how to do this mythical breathing technique, and it turns out it is ridiculously simple and changed my life. Here, let’s do it together…
Sit up straight in your chair and close your mouth. Through your nostrils take a long inhale for a four-count Mississippi. Good, now hold your filled lungs for another four-count Mississippi.
Now, slowlllly release all of the air in your lungs for a four-count Mississippi and when all of the air is gone, give an extra little muscle push to get everything out. Then, you guessed it, hold your completely empty lungs for another four-count Mississippi.
Close your eyes now and repeat this [box] cycle until you are calm, centered, and back on target.
That one technique I learned from the online course with Mark was worth its weight in gold. I use it everywhere and in almost every stressful situation I find myself in.
In my old life I would use it before jiu jitsu matches, when I was stuck in traffic, when my flights were delayed, or before any big presentation. It always got me back to center.
So, it should be no surprise that I found applications for it in my new lifestyle of off-grid living. Stuck on a mountain in inclement weather? Box breathe. Can’t figure out how to fix something that I broke? Box breathe. About to take a shot on an animal to feed my family? Box breathe. About to care for my pregnant wife who just cracked her skull open on a rock? Box breathe.
So, even if you aren’t living the off-grid lifestyle you dream of just yet, don’t disregard the things you do and learn to survive in your current suburban environment as useless for your future life… you never know what may be extremely applicable!
Daily Prompt: What things or activities do you do today to cope with stress? Are these techniques or experiences something you could apply to any situation or lifestyle change? Take a moment to envision applying these skills in the future and write that down here:
Motivational Passage:
Physical and emotional states can be altered by changing the breathing pattern.
-Wilhem Reich
Rewilding Action: Today’s action is simple. How much gasoline do you have on hand, and how much is currently in your vehicle? If you needed to get out of town, how far could you get? Take a little inventory and assess whether you have enough. Then, if you do have gasoline on hand, how long has it been sitting in that plastic container you bought at the gas station? Has it been weeks, months, or even years? If that’s the case, make sure you treat that long sitting gas with something like Stabil so that it is usable when you need it.