Copyright COHERENCE L.L.C. 2005 All rights reserved.

Revised June 7th, 2010

Coherent Breathing Instructions:

This practice is intended for adults while in the state of rest or semi-activity. The recommended breathing rhythm is not applicable to aerobic exercise. Do not practice Coherent Breathing in close proximity to a Cathode Ray Tube computer monitor or television set. If you are using either, stay back 3-4 feet while practicing. First, allow me to both congratulate and thank you for your purchase of this COHERENCE Breathing Pacemaker product. With a little effort, in a short time you will be able to achieve, what heretofore has taken dedicated yogis decades to accomplish - optimal autonomic nervous system balance. The Breathing Pacemaker supports the practice of Coherent Breathing. Coherent Breathing facilitates the state of autonomic nervous system balance and cardiopulmonary resonance. While the following instructions are somewhat detailed, please rest assured that the method is quite simple. Having said this, for you to achieve maximal benefit, it will be necessary for you to commit yourself to a fundamentally new approach to breathing. You are encouraged to read The New Science of Breath in its entirety before beginning this practice. The Breathing Pacemaker is intended to: 1) Provide a "reference rhythm" for the practice of yoga, meditation, martial art, and applicable sport. 2) Provide a background "reference rhythm" throughout the day as a reminder of the optimal breathing rhythm, 3) Provide a highly portable "balancing tool" for times of acute stress as well as times of leisure.

Specific Instructions:
The correct practice of Coherent Breathing requires 2 things: 1) It requires that we breathe at a specific frequency with comfortable depth, 2) It requires that we relax specifically, when we exhale. As described in The Science section of the web site, the target breathing rhythm is 5 cycles in ~1 minute. The interval for the entire cycle is ~12 seconds and the interval for inhalation or exhalation is ~6 seconds. Each Breathing Pacemaker product presents you with the 6/12 second interval to which you synchronize your breathing cycle. This "synchronization" requires that you:

a) breathe across the entire interval, inhaling for 6 seconds and exhaling for 6 seconds. b) change from inhalation to exhalation or visa versa at the specified moment, c) allow the pace of the air moving in and out of your lungs to naturally accelerate and decelerate, again very much like the action of the pendulum, and d) guide but do not force the process, in particular exhalation. e) relax coincident with exhalation. Inhalation requires effort (just like flexing any other large muscle). Relax and let exhalation occur naturally of its own accord; guide but do not force the pace of exhalation. The optimal breathing process approximates a sine wave as depicted in FIGURE 1 below:

FIGURE 1: Optimal Breathing Pattern Approximating a Sine Wave

"Stretching" the breathing across the 6 second interval, requires the breathing to be slow and deep. To be clear about this, for example it is not correct to inhale for 3 seconds and hold for the remaining 3 seconds. Alternatively, the breath should be "long and smooth", the air moving through your nostrils at a relaxed but continuous pace. During inhalation, as the lungs become full and the diaphragm approaches its full flexion, the rate of inhalation will naturally slow. Similarly, the exhalation process requires that you exhale gently but continuously for the duration of the 6 second interval. Once the inhalation phase ends, simply allow exhalation to begin naturally and continue exhaling comfortably until the next cue. As in the case of inhalation, as the diaphragm fully relaxes and the lungs become empty, the rate of exhalation will naturally slow. Both inhalation and exhalation must be smooth and continuous. For most people, this requires the diaphragm to move in a manner that is quite foreign. For this reason, optimal breathing requires "toning" of the diaphragm and intercostal muscle groups and related nervous system control thereof. For this reason, it is best to set aside a short time each day for deliberate practice. With a little training, you will be able to control the motion of your diaphragm both fully and smoothly. For adults, the average rate of breathing is 15 breaths per minute, yielding 1 breathing cycle every 4 seconds. Unless you have been practicing a therapeutic breathing method, breathing at 12 second intervals can prove challenging at first. Slowing exhalation is key to slowing the autonomic rhythm and building heart rate variability amplitude. For this reason, the formal instructive method begins with reorienting the exhalation phase of the breathing cycle.

Coherent Breathing Formal Instructive Method:

Approach this practice with patience. Practice only a few minutes per day at first. Don't overdo it! If at any time you feel pain or discomfort discontinue this practice. Step 1: Position yourself in a comfortable upright posture. Recline at no more than a 45 degree angle. Clothing should be comfortable and loose. Step 2: Start the Breathing Pacemaker therapeutic audio recording on your stereo or personal audio device. Step 3: Consciously relax, attempting to "let go" of any tension you may be carrying. Step 4: Listen closely to the pacemaker recording, noting the regularity of the cues to inhale and exhale. Step 5: For the first few minutes of practice, every so often, inhale deeply and then, timing your exhalation with the Pacemaker, exhale for the duration of a single 6 second interval. Then resume your "normal" breathing rhythm. Don't attempt to do this continuously, just every so often. Do only what is comfortable for you. Step 6: Once "exhaling every so often" for 6 seconds becomes familiar and comfortable, combine exhalation with deep relaxation. That is, just as in Step 5, every so often, pick a 6 second audio interval and exhale for the duration while consciously relaxing and "letting go" of any stress or tension you may be holding. Pay particular attention to relaxing the diaphragm as you exhale. You can use a visual image with this if you wish. The "unwinding of a spring" is a useful notion. Note any bodily sensations you may be experiencing. In between phases of exhalation return to your "normal" breathing rhythm. With this as the focus of your practice session, continue for the time you have allotted. During this period, stay awake and try to remain focused on the exercise. During moments throughout the day, use your Breathing Pacemaker recording to reinforce this "new" exhalation interval. Practice steps 5 and 6 until you become very familiar and comfortable with the practice of exhalation. In time, you will note a distinct "relaxation response" that occurs coincident with each exhalation. (When exhalation occurs coincident with the parasympathetic phase of the intrinsic autonomic cycle, a "relaxation response" naturally occurs. This sensation is indicative of parasympathetic action. A key reason that people become "tense" is that this response is not elicited frequently. When you are breathing optimally, this response occurs with every exhalation!) When you have achieved this, proceed to Step #7 involving the incorporation the 6 second inhalation interval. Step 7: Chose a 6 second interval and exhale for the duration. Listen for the next cue signaling the end of exhalation and the beginning of inhalation. (Each recording incorporates an indication that the cue is imminent making transitions easy to predict. These indications are defined in Table 1 below.) When you hear the cue, begin inhaling gently. Continue inhaling smoothly and evenly until the next cue. You will notice the natural feeling that the lungs are filling and the breath is slowing down. You may also notice that inhaling for this duration requires "conscious effort" - flexing the diaphragm fully, requires conscious effort just as flexing any other muscle of the body. This is a reason why optimal breathing must in fact be "mindful breathing". After each deliberate inhalation, relax and resume your regular breathing rhythm. Continue with this practice for the duration of your training period 10-20 minutes.

Again, during moments throughout the day, use your Breathing Pacemaker recording to reinforce this "new" inhalation rhythm. Inhale and exhale a few intervals at a time, then relax and resume your "normal" breathing rhythm. Note any body/mind changes that you may experience before and after a few cycles of breathing at the optimal rhythm. Continue the practice outlined in Step 7 until you become proficient. Step 8: Now that you are proficient at both exhaling and inhaling for 6 second intervals, begin linking intervals together naturally, first a single interval, then 2, then 3, etc. With this, your complete breathing cycle will be occurring on 12 second intervals, yielding 5 complete breathing cycles in ~1 minute. Continue this practice of breathing at a 5 cycle per minute rate until you can do it comfortably for 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, etc. Continue for as long as is comfortable without strain, then relax and return to your "normal" breathing rhythm. Again, during moments throughout the day, use your Breathing Pacemaker recording to reinforce this new 12 second breathing cycle rhythm. Do this a few intervals at a time, then relax and resume your regular breathing rhythm. Note any body/mind changes that you may experience before and after a few cycles of breathing at the optimal rhythm. Step 9: Continue with the practice of Step 8 until you are proficient breathing at the 12 second interval as often as desired. During moments throughout the day, use your Breathing Pacemaker(TM) recording to reinforce this rhythm. While at rest or semi-activity, make it your objective to breathe at this new rhythm all the time. There will be times that you will forget this new rhythm and revert to your regular unconscious breathing rhythm. In time, this will become noticeable and you will reorient your breathing in the moment to the new rhythm. This ends the instructive method.

Additional Information Regarding Breathing Pacemaker Use:

With practice, breathing at the target rhythm of 5 breathing cycles in ~1 minute will become commonplace for you. Having said this, modern life with its fast pace and many diversions tends to work against proper breathing. In fact, rapid shallow breathing is one of the first physical manifestations of stress. For this reason it is particularly important to note body/mind changes that occur when breathing at the target rhythm vs. those while breathing at the "normal" rhythm. These may include feelings of ease, relaxation, reduced anxiety, comfort, etc. In time, loss of these feelings will become reminders that you are not breathing at the optimal rhythm. Remember, that when not in the state of fight or flight, conscious breathing takes precedence over unconscious breathing. So if you feel stress and tension building, dont allow your breathing frequency to increase and your breathing depth to decrease. In this way, we signal to the autonomic nervous system that we are in control and that we do not desire the state of fight or flight. This conscious intervention breaks the cycle of stress and tension. (This is the way that the ancient warrior remained calm, sword in hand. If they could do it under threat of death, then we can certainly do it to combat the stressors of modern day life!) Table 1 below describes the characteristics of each Breathing Pacemaker product, specifying the nature of the "cue", how an impending cue is indicated, and if the recording makes a distinction between inhalation and exhalation phases, how this distinction is indicated. For example, "Tibetan Bell & Marimba" and "Tibetan Bell & Chime" distinguish between inhalation and exhalation phases, making it possible for 2 or more people to synchronize their

breathing cycles. This is accomplished by alternating 6 second intervals in left and right channels. Consequently, 2 or more people can listen to the same pacemaker recording, synchronizing their inhalation with the left channel and exhalation with the right channel or visa versa.

Pacemaker Recording

Cue to Inhale or Exhale The strike of the bell The recurring melodic sequence The strike of the bell Second hand reaches 6 and 12 Silence, call of the whippoorwill Rising and falling binaural beat Strike of the bell The strike of the chime Strike of the chime Inhale on 1st 2 melodic phrases, exhale on 2nd 2 phrases Exhale with 6 descending notes; inhale with 6 ascending notes Red ball rises; blue ball falls

Indication of Impending Change 1st Bell fades out completely Recurring melodic sequence Tick of the clock Second hand approaches 6, second hand approaches 12 Maximal and minimal volume High and low volume Volume fades to zero Chime fades to zero Chime fades to zero

Distinction Between Inhalation & Exhalation Phases? Exhale with low bell; inhale with high bell

2 Bells

4 Bells

No

Clock & Tibetan Bell COHERENCE Clock

No Inhale as second hand moves from 6 to 12; exhale when hand moves from 12 to 6 No

Dusk Sounds Horizontal Pratyahara Long Soft Bell Mountain Brook & Chime

No No No

Single Chime

No

Rainy Day (The Eagle Will Rise Again)

The melody itself Begin exhaling at chime; begin inhaling after last descending note. Fall approaches completion, rise approaches completion

Alternating melodic sequences Exhale with 6 descending notes; inhale with 6 ascending notes Yes

The Six Bridges

Taiji Diagram

Tibetan Bell & Chime Tibetan Bell & Marimba Vocal Instructive Sequence Vocal Instructive Sequence (Aqua)

The strike of the bell The strike of the bell Vocal "inhale" & "exhale" Verbal "inhale" & "exhale"

Strike of chime

Alternates in left & right ears Alternates in left & right ears Vocal "inhale" & "exhale" Vocal inhale and exhale

Marimba sequence

The number "4"

The number 4

This concludes the instructions. Products and methods described herein are protected by multiple patents pending. COHERENCE, Coherent Breathing, Breathing Pacemaker, The New Science of Breath, What Was Lost Is Not A Chord But a Rhythm, are trademarks of COHERENCE L.L.C., Allen, Texas, U.S.A. Copyright COHERENCE L.L.C. 2006. All rights reserved.