When you and your dog get stressed, there are some simple ways to manage this stress response.  For example,  did you know that how we breathe influences our brain in multiple ways?    Our breathing affects our perception, emotion, cognition, and even our mood. And breathing regulates arousal, attention, and stress responses…for both you and your dog.   In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy talks about the science of breathing, the importance of emotional contagion, and why coming back to balance is so important to our dogs.    Being out in nature is a proven way to manage stress and it reduces neural activity in the part of the brain associated with anxiety and depression. Kathy shares her personal experience that demonstrates just how powerful breathing and connecting to nature can be.     She includes her favorite breathing techniques that work really well to get calm, even after a meltdown when out on a walk with her dogs.   In this episode:    The science of our breathing style The emotional contagion The individual's behavior can heavily influence the behavior of others Spending time in nature reduces stress Breathing tips from Kathy   Quotes:   Our breathing affects our perception, emotion, cognition, and even our mood. And breathing regulates arousal, attention, and stress responses.    A person's choice of words, voice inflection, facial feedback, body language, and sense of energy can all prompt emotional changes in those around them, whether their family members, friends, colleagues, strangers, or of course, our dogs.   Positive emotional contagion can bring about positive emotions in others, while negative social contagion can bring about negative emotions. Consider how this impacts our dogs.   Stimulating the vagus nerve has the powerful effect of slowing our heart rate. This is what helps us to relax and this is what also directly helps our dogs to relax.  LOVE TO LEARN MORE?  Become a calm and confident Dog Mom with a cooperative, happy dog ... without obedience training, or relying on treats or arousing games, or corrections of any type.    Here are some next steps:   SUBSCRIBE to Kathy’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DancingHeartsDogAcademy/videos   LISTEN or READ Kathy’s Podcast and Blog on her Website: https://dancingheartsdogacademy.com/   GET STARTED work with Kathy: https://dancinghearts.link/foundation   LET’S CONNECT on the socials for more partnership tips and advice: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancinghearts/ -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathykawalec/   LISTEN TO PODCASTS:Subscribe to the Enlightened By Dogs podcast in your favorite app! Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review – it would make Kathy very happy!   Subscribe on  Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify Connect on Facebook: facebook.com/dancinghearts/