Tame your mind by taming your breath

The fund-management industry is a noisy place, replete with chronic disturbances and acute disruptions. Because of this noise, some fund managers habitually breathe at a rate of 20 or more breaths per minute when they are just sitting at their desks during the course of an average day. By way of comparison, the normal resting respiratory range for adults is 12 to 15 breaths per minute.  

Breathing too fast plays a role in creating imbalance in your autonomic nervous system. This is the part of your nervous system that is responsible for the regulation of your internal organs and glands, a process that occurs mostly without your conscious intervention.  

The two main branches of the autonomic nervous system are:

  • Sympathetic Nervous System. This system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response.
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System. This system’s function is to maintain rest and promote repair. 

The action of these two systems is complementary and they should ideally be in balance with one another for optimal functioning. However, breathing too fast over-engages the sympathetic nervous system, and under-engages the parasympathetic nervous system. This imbalance brings about a release of hormones and excitatory neurotransmitters (like cortisol and adrenaline) to help you cope with the threat that’s implied by your rapid breathing. 

This is a serious issue because prolonged exposure to these hormones can lead to anxiety, fatigue and depression. Fortunately, there’s a simple hedge against these risks. At a resting respiratory rate below six breaths per minute, you activate an under-engaged parasympathetic nervous system, thereby shifting your whole autonomic nervous system into healthier balance.   

Breath plays a central role in the contemplative practices of the ancient wisdom traditions. Practitioners of mindfulness meditation, for example, typically orientate their awareness to follow their breath in an unforced and receptive way, calmly accepting whatever arises in consciousness. Other practices involve “taming the breath to tame the mind”, or using active control of the rate of breathing to bring about mental clarity.

These meditative breathing practices are not confined to earnest novitiates sitting zazen for hours on end. They are practised by some of the world’s most successful fund managers as an effective way to deal with chronic disturbances and acute disruptions.

An example is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio, who has practised meditation for forty years. He attributes much of his success to this practice: “I think meditation has been the single biggest influence on my life.” He describes his meditation practice as a way to get centred: “Being ‘centred’ is that state in which your emotions are not hijacking you.” He adds, “It means when things come at you – challenges, stresses, disruptive events – you can be calm and analytical and approach them almost, I imagine, like a Ninja sees things coming at him in slow motion so that he’s obviously in control.”

Sport Psych 

If the idea of meditation is unattractive to you, you can approach breathwork as a physical practice, rather than something spiritual. Sport psychologists have long understood that body-to-mind regulation of athletes’ arousal levels is a way to help the athletes function optimally during competitive events. Conscious regulation of breathing rates is one of the most commonly used and most effective techniques to manage the arousal levels in athletes. This is a way of integrating body and mind, where the athletes enrol their bodies in the process of managing their minds, which in turn affects their athletic performance. 

These athletes don’t first attempt to use their breathing techniques in the heat of competition. Like any other skill, they practise their breathing between competitive events, over and over again, so that they can easily and effectively use it when they need it in competition.

You too can use your breathing to improve your performance as an investment professional. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do so is to regularly practise breathing slower for a set time.

Here’s a super-simple breathwork practice. Breathe in slowly and smoothly, from your belly to the top of your lungs. Then, breathe out slowly and smoothly, until all the air is gone. Keep repeating this slow cycle for the duration of your breathwork session, aiming to keep your rate of breathing under six breaths a minute. The operative word is slow. And there should be no strain involved in your breathwork, so keep your face, neck and shoulders relaxed while you breathe.  

It’s best to practise regularly and when things are calm, perhaps first thing in the morning. The better you practise your breathwork, the more effectively you will be able to use it as a tool to reduce your noise levels when they’re elevated. Fifteen minutes a day of breathwork would be ideal, but you’ll get results by practising for five minutes a day. With sufficient practice, it becomes possible for you to regain your centre when you need it most, in the space of a few slow breaths. That’ll put you ahead in the game.

Reflection

  • What’s your normal breathing rate when you are sitting at your desk?
  • How might that be affecting your physical, emotional, and mental state?
  • What might you do about that?

References

  • Justin Newdigate: Noise (2019)
  • Norman Rosenthal: Super Mind (2016)
  • Patricia Gerbarg: The Healing Power Of The Breath (2012)
  • Jean Williams: Applied Sport Psychology (2006)
  • Walpola Rahula: What The Buddha Taught (1974)