Diary of a Biohacker - breathing techniques & biofeedback with The EMWave Device

A few years ago I experienced a turbulent time in my life when something unforeseen sent me in a direction I hadn't expected. If this had happened a year or so earlier, I would probably have been freaked out and been in a considerable state of stress and worry. However, since introducing daily breathing techniques using a biofeedback device called the EMWave device, I found myself in unfamiliar territory. Instead of panicking or struggling to deal with my emotions, I ended up dealing with the situation more comfortably than I would have ever imagined. I surprised myself by how composed I had been, and it has since given me the confidence to push on through and start to focus on something that I'm passionate about, like my bio-hacking web site, which is still a work in progress. It needs a lot of work, but if you're interested in taking a look this is the address www.myoptimumself.com. It's not making a living for me, but it's the first time I've been confident enough to embark on something like this and given me a sense of achievement. That unfortunate incident back then now feels like it was a blessing in disguise, as so many positive things have happened in my life as a result.

I first heard about the EMWave when watching a video of a presentation by Dave Asprey, fellow biohacker and owner of the Bulletproof brand. In his presentation, he stated that this device and the effects of practising these breathing techniques were probably the most impressive of all the "hacks" he had introduced to his daily routine. Its effectiveness is due to the way in which it trains your variable heart rate and breathing to be more efficient, which is reflected by the coherence levels displayed through the software and app provided.

By following the guidelines provided through the Heartmath site and practising these techniques using either the PC device (EMWave) or mobile device (Inner Balance) for two weeks or longer, the changes to breathing and variable heart rate become habit-forming, although given the effects this practice has had, I've found no reason to want to stop.

Learning how to regulate your breathing using the EMWave or Inner Balance device helps to improve:

Focus
Handling stressful situations
Creativity
Your overall feeling of well being
Balance, especially if you practise yoga or pilates

Using the EMWave & Inner Balance device:
The EMWave and Inner Balance device monitors your variable heart rate through the use of free software and app available on the Heartmath site and provides you with a guide to whether you are in a relaxed coherent state, or whether your mind is wandering, or in a state of stress. You can immediately see when there's tension in your body, and when your coherence has gone from being in a focused and relaxed state,(in the green zone on the biofeedback monitor) to a stressed or distracted state (in the blue or red zone). It provides you with an indicator so that you can then steer away from those thoughts that have caused this shift, or try to relax those parts of your body where you realise tension has appeared.

Two weeks, 20 minutes a day of using this device to change your breathing technique, will help you deal with stressful situations without getting flustered, allow you to think more clearly when you might normally panic or find yourself tongue-tied and provides you with a whole different sense of well-being and confidence.

When I first tried the EMWave device, my variable heart rate was all over the place, and the biofeedback monitor was regularly in the red zone. After a handful of attempts, I started to increase the percentage of time and the level of coherence in the green zone and saw a change from a variable heart rate that would be best described as choppy, to consistently smooth flowing wave. The most impressive part was the impact it had on my central nervous system, which is why I still try and practise whenever I can five years after first introducing this daily practice.

Creativity

One of the most surprising side-effects of using the EMWave device was with regard to my creativity. I never reached any level of consistency with my art when I was younger, and anyone would be kind in describing my work as average, (and some might say it still is), but for me, there has been a drastic improvement since I started introducing these breathing techniques. It's difficult to describe and an unexpected benefit. I think I did more drawing in the six months after starting these breathing techniques than I'd done in the entire time since leaving school over 30 years ago, and probably the first time I've picked up my pencils in years.

I have provided an example of one of my drawings, that I now feel confident enough to show.

Perhaps it can help you improve that creative, problem-solving side of you, give you more confidence in going for a life with more risks and passion. Something about this practice dissolved or shifted that creative block

I would never have dreamt to be moving down the path I'm going, and if you'd asked me a couple of years ago, I would have had many doubts, but I've never been happier, or felt as well I do since I started practising these breathing techniques.

Basic breathing technique

When you're using this breathing technique device, you should ideally find a comfortable seated position and imagine that you are literally breathing through your heart. Try to focus on some recent life events or people in your life that have made you feel the happiest.

You can adjust the time settings for your own preferred breathing cycle and customise the images to help focus on those people or moments that make you feel happy. If you feel any tension in your body, or a stressful thought pops into your head, you will probably see a dip in your coherence levels, and it will take practice in recognising those moments when your mind wanders, or stress appears.

The idea is that you start to be able to recognise what it is that causes these changes in your bio-feedback, and can consciously alter your mental or physical state to get yourself back into that green zone. We often don't know how much stress is having an impact on your mind and body without this kind of biofeedback, and perhaps you've occasionally caught yourself tensing up or holding your breath without knowing it. With guidance and practise, you will be more in control of your emotions that you might have ever thought possible and the more positive thoughts that appear as consequence​ will start to attract more positive influences into your lives.

I hope my review of the EMWave has given you an idea of how these breathing techniques can change your sense of wellbeing and reduce damaging stress. It's relatively inexpensive product when you consider the effects it can have, and the longer you use it the greater the benefits. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first bought this biofeedback device, but it's been so impressive and had so much of an effect on my life, that I had to write about it in my first blog.

I hope that you will experience the same benefits as I have and can start to live a happier life​ when big or small bumps in the road won't knock you out of your stride. When you look back to those moments, like the one I had a few years back, you'll be wondering what the big deal was. No matter how old you are, the best days of your life are ahead of you.

I'm hoping to continue writing more about​ my experiences in Diary of Biohacker blog, which includes following a ​ketogenic diet for the past five​ years. I've researched the role that fats play in the diet and how our energy system works. I had the urge to understand how it all works and want to help simplify and provide in a concise format the impact of certain fats, cholesterol, hormones and ketones have on the body, and to explain some of the physiological changes that take place, especially for athletes. Thank you for reading and I wish you well.