With exercise, we never prescribe exactly the same stimulus (exercise, sets, reps and weight) for an entire group of people. There is always some level of adjustment.
So why would we do it with the breath?
This leads to one significant problem that can sometime arise when working with others using the breath – either for meditation or for restorative purposes after a workout etc
As soon as we discuss any way of breathing, or any method, we can create conflict. For some, literally the thought of “am I doing this right?” creates tension, or stress.
Given that for me, the focus is to down-regulate the stress response, this is obviously not good.
Sometimes we look to create a response through noticing or adjusting a certain aspect of the breath, but sometimes, we simply observe.
When we simply remain the observer with no intervention, we have no conflict. Furthermore, more often than not, the act of observation brings a down-regulation along with it.
Like with exercise, it’s important to know which approach is applicable with who, and at what time.
