While talking with my client, M, today, we went down a conversational rabbit hole about unconscious breathing patterns after she took a breath that ended in a "raspberry" and, a few minutes later, a sigh. 

I observed that "raspberries" seem to require a belly breath—they travel through the diaphragm. At the same time, a sigh may come from a more shallow chest breath. M pointed out that a "raspberry" needs the force of a belly breath, and the sigh doesn't. She also noted the value of parasympathetic nervous system activation with a belly-breathing raspberry.

So, while they may arise from different depths, both "raspberries" and sighs are affective expressions, but of what? And for whom?

By the end of our call, M observed that raspberries are soothing, perhaps because they come from the belly and activate the PNS. But maybe also because they're playful and reminiscent of childhood. Conversely, a sigh lacks depth, signifying what? Resignation? Apathy?

Considering how raspberries and sighs reflect our emotional state, how might we intentionally affect our feelings and moods using these two breathing techniques? 

More raspberries! 😝

Holly Margl is the award-winning author of Witnessing Grief; Inviting Trauma and Loss to Our Coaching Conversations, An Enneagram Perspective, coach, coach mentor, and trainer specializing in grief, trauma, and the Enneagram.