Exploring Breathwork to Tackle Stress and Boost Mental Health with John Hall

## Show Notes: Advancing With Amy / Mental Health Warrior & Neurospicy Mama

### Episode Title: Exploring Breathwork to Tackle Stress and Boost Mental Health, with John Hall

**Host:** Amy  
**Guest:** John Hall

### Episode Highlights:

1. **Introduction to Belly Breathing**:
   - John Hall introduces the concept of belly breathing as a method to signal safety to the body, differentiating it from chest breathing used in dangerous situations.

2. **Breathing Exercise Demonstration**:
   - John demonstrates a calming breathing exercise: inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, then exhale through the mouth for 7 seconds. This helps tell the body it is safe.
   
3. **Influence of Physical Posture**:
   - Discussing the impact of physical posture on mindset, John cites studies showing how smiling or adopting power poses can improve decision-making and confidence levels.

4. **Incorporating Breath Techniques**:
   - John details his use of breath techniques with clients:
     - **Tactical Breath** for immediate stress relief.
     - **Strategic Breath** for regular practice to expand stress tolerance.
     - **Transformational Breath** to challenge and dissolve limiting beliefs.
   - He shares a personal story of using breath work to address his own limiting beliefs.

5. **Democratizing Breathwork**:
   - John aims to democratize breathwork, sharing its benefits with a wide audience, not just entrepreneurs and executives.

6. **Physiological Aspect of Stress**:
   - Stress is presented as a full somatic experience. The episode dives into how stress affects the body, and John introduces his BPM (breath physiology mindset) technique for redirecting stress responses.

7. **Understanding Stress Responses**:
   - John outlines the two types of stress responses (hyper arousal and hypo arousal) and specifies that they are suitable in particular situations.
   - He discusses a UK study showing that forcing a smile for ten minutes can be as effective as Prozac for clinical depression.

8. **Impact of Stress on Body Functions**:
   - High stress can shut down non-essential functions like digestion and advanced critical thinking. John explains how chronic stress can lead to distress and harm health.

9. **Types of Stress**:
   - The episode categorizes stress into neutral stress, healthy stress (Eustress), and unhealthy stress (distress).

10. **Utilizing Breath Work to Signal Safety**:
    - Breath work techniques are highlighted for their ability to signal safety to the brain via the vagus nerve, promoting calmness and lowering stress levels.

11. **Challenging Limiting Beliefs**:
    - John discusses the importance of examining and challenging limiting beliefs and the long-term health benefits of changing the way we breathe.

12. **Resources and Further Learning**:
    - John introduces his course "Breathe Easier" available on his website for more comprehensive information.
    - Visit [JohnHallCoaching.com](http://JohnHallCoaching.com) for contact, one-on-one sessions, and course details.

### Conclusion

- Amy appreciates the rich conversation with John and encourages listeners to rate, review, and subscribe to the show.

**Don’t miss this informative episode! Learn how simple breath work can transform your stress response and mental well-being.**

---Keep Advancing Warriors!

Amy

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