[PyncGyncliacy]

After we do suburi and I'm out of breath we line up and do mokuso. During this time I can feel my pulse in my neck. I've recently noticed that when I exhale deeply I distinctly notice that my pulse rate slows.. Only to speed back up as soon as I inhale. Has anyone experienced this? Is there a way I can continue to slow my pulse as I inhale?

[Dwemadayday]

That's a natural reflex which happens to everyone. Aside from maybe some esoteric meditative technique, its impossible to control as far as I'm aware

[CelexaNY]

Yeah. What stealth_monkey said.

Just try and practice controlled breathing. I have exercise induced asthma so breathing is a huge weakness for me right now, and I find that taking the time to draw in long and controlled breaths helps a bunch. I usually count out eight heart beats while I inhale, then eight heartbeats while I exhale. I count two beats between inhalation and exhalation. I make sure that each inhalation and exhalation only lasts that long, and is not shorter than that, even when the heart rate speed varies for each. Different rates for different people though, since lung capacity can vary so much from person to person. Dunno whether this would work for you, but during mokuso it works for me.

[DailyRingtone]

I don't think you can do much more than slow your breathing as much as practical at the time.

I went into Emergency about 14 months ago because I was having these strange heart palpitations, thought I was having a heart attack or something. The doctor ran tests and had me on the ECG for quite some time, the machine kept beeping (alarm) every now and then, which didn't help my suspicions and the Doc was staying tight-lipped at that point. Eventually he asked if I was some kind of athlete because my sitting heartrate was consistently dropping well below 40bpm where the machine is set to activate the alarm. I was amazed that my heart would keep me alive at such a slow rate. Anyway, my condition was something like Hyperventricular bla bla bla, which is common and nothing to worry about, it meant that at the time I was sometimes getting this phantom extra beat, which felt strange, problem solved with reduced stress, caffeine etc etc.

My point being that, it is amazing how strong our heart/lungs become when we have been training for long enough, that one beat every 1.5 seconds or so (at rest) is a big wallop that sends a good amount of blood surging through those veins. So, I'm not surprised that you (OP) are feeling your pulse in your neck.

Anyway, sorry for the thread drift.

[Stivenslivakovishhhs]

Yeah. Resting pulse can easily drop below the 60 to 40 range for people who are in excellent physical condition. Super common. Heck, people can survive (but not remain conscious) with a heart that beats once to twice a minute. It is why taking a full minute pulse is important with people who could be presumed dead.

[JAMES PIETERSE]

My heart rate used to be 37bpm back when I ran cross country in high school. You can also play all sorts of tricks with blood pressure monitors if you know how as well.

If you really want to play with slowing your pulse try biofeedback, then you can figure it out through experiementation. You can probably figure out how to speed it up too. I wouldnt mind playing with a continuous heart rate monitor and see if reverse breathing has any effect on heart rate. I would assume it does since you can take a deeper breathe.

[SkeniaInhilla]

After we do suburi and I'm out of breath we line up and do mokuso. During this time I can feel my pulse in my neck. I've recently noticed that when I exhale deeply I distinctly notice that my pulse rate slows.. Only to speed back up as soon as I inhale. Has anyone experienced this? Is there a way I can continue to slow my pulse as I inhale?

I always assumed that effect was purely physiological. When you breathe the pressure in your chest changes. Those pressure changes result in slightly shorter or longer times to fill the heart chambers before the contraction ejects the blood.

[drycleden]

I always assumed that effect was purely physiological. When you breathe the pressure in your chest changes. Those pressure changes result in slightly shorter or longer times to fill the heart chambers before the contraction ejects the blood.

That may explain it then. And I thought I was on to something..

During mokuso next time I'm going to breathe normally instead of deeply meditatively and see if my pulse stills slows.

[purchasviagra]

During mokuso next time I'm going to breathe normally instead of deeply meditatively and see if my pulse stills slows.

I've noticed that too but IIRC, when doing mokuso, we are supposed to exhale roughly twice as long as when we inhale. Inhale quickly, exhale slower. When he was visiting, Ota sensei spent some time explaining this to us but I can't really be sure I heard properly. I also seem to recall there have been studies showing that deep slow breathing sort of forces the body into a more relaxed state. I'm hoping some of the senior members here would comment on this though.

[fluistulkn]

That may explain it then. And I thought I was on to something..

During mokuso next time I'm going to breathe normally instead of deeply meditatively and see if my pulse stills slows.

It will. The effect will even be present if you've been lying in bed all day. Just check your pulse rate for a minute using your wrists, you'll notice it slows and speeds up in waves corresponding to your breathing.