Basic Breathing Software Application User Guide
Contents
1. l wav is played You can have the application play sounds of your choice by simply substituting these files with your own For example you could record a message in your own voice There are lots of programs that you can use to do this such as Audacity a freeware application Your recording needs to be saved in WAV format 4 2 Support Window Figure 9 shows the support window It displays the raw temperature signal together with various aspects of the breath detection method see section 3 1 The support window allows you to check the breathing calibration is ok but for the most part you shouldn t need it The two lamp displays at the bottom shown turned off will flash briefly whenever the application detects 1 beginning of the exhalation left and 11 beginning of the inhalation right Press the Calibrate button to recalibrate the breath as described in section 3 1 Ay Second BioEra 3 151 EMG_B_Main 18 21 24 High Exhale Low Inhale 8 21 24 o7 0J p 3 1 5 i ra in gf p E O m O J 7E f _ ir J f wv 1 Relative Breath Avg M Ex Th Avg Mi In Th 22 049 W7 07 B Figure 9 support window The charts show aspects of the calculation of the breath s turning points In the bottom left is the button used to recalibrate the breath see section 3 1 5 Session Reports The application records data so that you can generate a report for your sessions The report contains summary dat2. Main Window This section explains how to configure the controls in the main window 4 1 1 Standard Controls Start Stop etc A set of buttons Play Stop and Pause are the same in all the applications in the suite They should be self explanatory The button marked with a red asterisk is a simple event marker You can use it to mark adventitious happenings and changes in session conditions e g you turn on or off breath pacing It is particularly useful for coaches and therapists Events thus marked are represented in the long term chart see section 4 1 4 below by a vertical white line They are also recorded in the session data file and are shown in session report charts as dotted vertical lines see section 5 Note that pressing the escape key during a session has the same effect as pressing the red asterisk with your mouse i e it is an alternative 4 1 2 Short Term Breath Display iL STPoriod 2min Figure 5 Short term display and controls The chart figure 5 above and 2 in figure 4 shows the breath trace in green yellow it rises on the inhalation and falls on the exhalation Note there is no vertical range control for the breath signal This should automatically be adjusted to fit the display during the calibration process If it goes off the top or bottom it means recalibration is needed Use the recalibrate button in the support window as described section 3 1 Each breath starts
3. choose which parameter to use as the basis of feedback The choices are the same as for midi feedback 1 e they are listed in the above table The threshold option works in a similar way to midi feedback 1 e the parameter used is the same as that selected for the threshold control 1 in figure 7 and the two threshold levels define the parameter range over which the pitch varies 4 1 6 3 Threshold Threshold based feedback was introduced in section 4 1 5 above When this option is activated a sound is played whenever the threshold condition is met You can configure the threshold as described in section 4 1 5 to summarise you can choose which parameter is the basis for feedback the threshold condition e g above or below the limit etc and the levels of the threshold The value of using the threshold is that the feedback is generally less intrusive freeing you to focus on your direct experience The feedback only comes in when you ve drifted out of your desired psychophysiological zone The audio files can be found in a folder named media in the breathing designs sub folder 1 e generally speaking C Program Files BioEraPro design Y BF Breath media There are three files named 1 wav 2 wav and 3 wav If the threshold condition is set to outside and the upper threshold is exceeded then file 2 wav is played or else if the lower limit is crossed then file 3 wav is played For all other threshold conditions file
4. from the same point on the vertical axis sometimes you see this as jumps in the signal There is a single control connected with this display you can see it below the chart at the left It sets the horizontal scale or time range the length of time it takes the trace to traverse the whole chart 4 1 3 Numeric Displays These are positioned at the bottom of the main window just above the audio feedback controls 6 in figure 4 above and should be self explanatory Averages are calculated over a 60 second interval 4 1 4 Long Term Displays and Controls 1 2 Breathing Rate Range nA A Period A l Figure 6 Long term displays and controls There are two long term charts shown in figure 6 and labelled 5 in figure 4 displaying breathing rate blue trace and inhalation exhalation 1 E ratio red trace Two combo boxes positioned above the charts 1 and 2 in figure 6 control the display of the traces LT Period Controls the horizontal time range of both charts Breathing Controls the vertical range of the blue breathing rate trace Rate Range Make this range larger 1f the blue trace appears to be off the top of the chart You can reduce it for greater sensitivity as your breathing slows down The I E ratio trace middle chart has a fixed scale of 0 to 2 The bold line in the centre of the chart represents 1 0 at which point the inhalation and exhalation are equal in length When the trace is above this line it m
5. YORK BIOFEEDBACK www york biofeedback co uk Glyn Blackett Basic Breathing Software Application User Guide Table of Contents PA MMB MO peat chen EA ea te EE NE E NEE A ddan EA 2 wage Vl ateiallale Me ApHC oeeie E ee ee 3 2 1 Hardware SOIR va decxantennivicenavadsiinennd E A DAEAR NEN 3 3 Measuring the Breath ccc cccccccsecsecceeceeteeceeseeceeaeseecaeeseeseeseeceeseeteeseeaeees 4 3 1 Breath Detection 0c ccc ecccceceeceeeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeueeeceeueeegeeugegeeeeeaees 4 LLI ee et eae cd AE sisirin e EEn TaN 4 3 1 2 Manual Re Calibration 0c cccccceccccesceceeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneans 4 3 2 Derived Breathing Parameters ccccceccecccecsecseeceeceeeeeceeseeseeseeaeaeees 5 A Rt MM cesta bute oieane clominsede seo a EN AEEA 6 AA Ma MV ACSW sinc ieee acces cercue o a E ebetiaa ded ada a 6 4 1 1 Standard Controls Start Stop etc ee eceeeeceeeeeeeeeeeees 6 4 1 2 Short Term Breath Display ccccccecceecsseceeeeeeeeeeeeeteeeaeees T 4 1 3 Numeric DISPI AYS 0 ccc cec cece sec eee eee eeeeeeeceeseeeaeeseeeeeseeaeeeeneas T 4 1 4 Long Term Displays and Controls ccccccecceeseceeeeeeeeeeeeeees 8 4 1 5 Threshold Display and Controls cccccecceecseeceeeseeeeeeeeeeeeees 9 4 1 6 Audio Feedback Controls ccccccccccccceccceseeseeseeseseeeeeeeeeeeaees 10 I Oe a en ne ene a ae nn E A ET 10 4 1 6 2 Breath TONG piedussussaniiniuddesuantndussaiev
6. a and graphs showing the progression of the feedback parameters over the whole session Note that during the first 25 seconds of the session data are not written it is likely to be inaccurate anyway due to the breath calibration process To generate and open a session report click the button labelled 2 in figure 1 A dialog window opens in which you can select various options see figure 10 The software creates the report in html format It will be opened using your computer s default web browser e g Internet Explorer Note that a live internet connection is not needed The html file is saved so you can for example email it to someone See the Installation and Set up Guide for details of file storage Report Options Overwrite existing report Add notes to report Breathing 4 Mark data points Breathing rate axis from zero Maximum Breathing Rate 20 bpm Maximum I E Ratio 3 Figure 10 Report options 5 1 Report Options Most of the options should be self explanatory If you change your mind about options on seeing your report you can regenerate the report by clicking the report button 2 in figure 1 then checking Overwrite existing report top left in the dialog Combo box controls allow you to set maximum values for breathing rate and I E ratio Setting a maximum is a basic way of excluding artefacts for example if you sniffed causing a breathing rate calculation much higher th
7. an baseline 5 2 Adding Notes to a Report You can choose to write some notes for your session report Checking Add notes to report top right of the dialog allows you to do this You may wish to add notes after having first seen the report In this case simply click the button 2 in figure 1 again and check the Add notes option This will regenerate the report with your added notes 5 3 Sample Session Report Training Session Report Training Application Breathing User Name Default User Session Date 31 03 12 14 02 Breathing Rate Breaths Per Minute 0 2 6 Session Time in Minutes Inhalation to Exhalation Ratio 1 6 1 4 1 2 0 8 LE Ratio 0 6 0 4 0 2 0 2 6 Session Time in Minutes Breathing Summary Data Parameter Mean Max Min S D Breathing Rate 7 2bpm 11 5bpm 4 8bpm 1 5 bpm I E Ratio 1 01 1 44 0 78 0 12 6 Application Report An application report summarises all the sessions for the currently selected user in charts and a table To generate and open an application report click the button labelled 3 in figure 1 A dialog window opens in which you can select various options see figure 11 As with session reports the software creates the application report in html format It will be opened using your computer s default web browser e g Internet Explorer Note that a live internet connection is not needed The html file is saved so you can for example emai
8. arameter for example the EMG amp Breathing application measures muscle tension in addition These applications offer most of the capabilities of the basic breathing application and more but the Basic Breathing application is simpler and may play a useful role in your learning process In keeping with others in the suite the Basic Breathing application was designed to support your aims not to supplant them Achieving some particular breathing state is not necessarily the only consideration the biofeedback application 1s designed to enhance or expand your subjective awareness I gave particular attention to the design of audio feedback allowing for eyes closed practice You can choose how much and how often the feedback 1s activated and thus how intrusive it 1s The guide assumes that you have read the Software Installation and Set up Guide and therefore know how to start the application The application works with several devices For an up to date list of supported hardware please see the York Biofeedback website 2 Launching the Application y York Biofeedback Software Mind Body Training Tools Set up eae Selected Trainee Default User Heart Rate Variability HEG Neurofeedback Basic Breathing Application 1 p Start Basic Breathing Application Breathing 2 p View Basic Breathing Session Report EMG Muscle Tension 3 p View Breathing Application Report GSR amp Skin Temperature Documentation Capnometry Basic Breat
9. eans that the inhalation is longer than the exhalation and when it drops below it means the exhalation 1s longer The exhalation is usually longer in relaxed breathing 4 1 5 Threshold Display and Controls The essence of threshold based feedback is that a discrete feedback event is triggered whenever the feedback parameter exceeds some limit For this application the main feedback event is a sound such as a bell ring but also a lamp lights up 3 in figure 7 not lit in this case Audio aspects of threshold 4 based feedback are covered in section 4 1 6 below The value of using the threshold is that the feedback is generally less intrusive freeing you to focus on your direct experience The feedback only comes in when you ve drifted out of your desired psychophysiological state Threshold Br Rate outside The bar graph has either one or two movable bars 4 and 5 in figure 7 which define the threshold levels To change these simply drag the bars with your mouse The actual values of the levels are shown in two numeric displays immediately below the graph labelled 6 in figure 7 6 You can set different conditions to be met for Figure 7 Threshold the threshold event to be triggered via combo display amp controls box 2 in figure 7 The options are listed in the table below Between Two limits are used the condition is met whenever the parameter is both below the upper limit and above the lowe
10. hing Application User Guide EEG Assessment EEG Training YORK BIOFEEDBACK MIND BODY TRAINING TOOLS www york biofeedback co uk ING Figure 1 Breathing and Temperature tab of the Platform Figure 1 above shows the Breathing tab of the Platform Press the button labelled 1 to launch the application Make sure you have your BioEra licence key dongle inserted into a USB socket After a few seconds two new windows will appear on your screen 2 1 Hardware Set up The physical aspects of hardware set up how to connect and use your sensors etc are dependent upon the type of amplifier you are using and are covered in a separate document Hardware Set up Guide Before you start the application you configure the device set up ioj x options accessible by clicking a button in the Set up tab of the Platform In the dialog select the type of amplifier biofeedback Device GP device you are using in the breath source control Note all the source settings are remembered the next time you start the ee Platform See the Installation and Set up Guide for further details of device set up Figure 2 amplifier status One of the device options is Simulator In simulator mode you can learn how to use the software without the encumbrance of sensors leads etc The application simply uses recorded data as a source Once you have started the application you should see your device selection reflected in the device s
11. l it to someone See the Installation and Set up Guide for details of file storage Report Options Show V Max W Min V Mean Breathing 4 Mark data points Breathing rate axis from zero Maximum Breathing Rate 20 bpm Maximum I E Ratio 3 Figure 11 Report options 6 1 Report Options The application report options dialog is an adapted version of the session report options dialog Many of the options are the same and should be self explanatory See section 5 1 above As with all of the application reports in the suite there is a chart for each of the main parameters tracked in the application in the case of the breathing application that means breathing rate and inhalation to exhalation ratio For each chart you can opt for line graphs for the maximum minimum and mean The line graphs have one point per session
12. ned by the breathing rate range control in the long term chart 3 in figure 14 actually this sets the upper limit while the lower limit is fixed at 3 0 bpm I E Ratio The higher the I E ratio in other words the longer the inhalation relative to the exhalation the higher the pitch The pitch range is mapped to a fixed parameter range of 0 to 2 Threshold The pitch varies with the parameter that is selected for threshold 1 i e in control 1 in figure 7 The higher the parameter the higher the pitch The pitch range is mapped to a parameter range defined by the two threshold levels the advantage of this option is that you can adjust the levels to precisely control the parameter range and thus the sensitivity of the feedback This only makes sense if you have two threshold levels visible so you should select outside for the threshold condition control 2 in figure 7 4 1 6 2 Breath Tone A tone 1s played which follows the breath The pitch gently ascends and descends in pitch for each inhalation exhalation respectively Each breath has a relatively narrow range in pitch The tone sounds during the movement of the breath and falls silent at the turning points This form of feedback is very useful if you are using the breath as the focus of your meditation At an overarching level the pitch varies with the selected feedback parameter the lower the parameter value the deeper the pitch Control 4 in figure 8 allows you to
13. of the breath turning points the software calculates breathing rate and average breathing rate the averaging period is 1 minute e the ratio between the durations of the inhalation phase and exhalation phase of the breath This is shortened to I E Ratio or simply I E A 1 minute average is also calculated These two parameters are shown in the long term displays figure 6 and can be used as the basis of audio feedback section 4 1 6 4 User Interface 1 Standard Controls 2 Short Term Display O Bia Er Breath_Main iy oe 05 1 2 k York feedback weew york binfeedback oo uwk Simulator i 10 70 0 40 50 i ro bl 10 10 10 re STPeiod 27min Breathing Rate Range 20bpm Pernod 5 min Threshold Er Rate outside Breathing Rae Event Marker i i 4 iL i E 4 T Tal 7 7 Midi Threshoia gt H Breath Tone mesm gt Threshold amp a aes of 3 Threshold E Display 6 Numeric Displays 4 Long Term Displays 5 Audio Controls Figure 4 Main window When you first start the application from the Platform you will see two windows The main window is shown in figure 4 above while the support window is shown later figure 9 The support window allows you to check that breath detection is working properly see the discussion of breath calibration in section 3 1 I expect that most users will rarely need to make reference to it 4 1
14. oo slowly through the nose during this time Note that the breath signal will not display properly until proper calibration is established If the initial automatic calibration does not work you can recover either by pressing stop and then start again or by following the procedure described in the following section 3 1 2 Manual Re calibration If for any reason you lose reliable breath detection during a session e g you have to remove and reattach the sensor there is a way to recover in the support window you can press a button labelled Calibrate You should breathe naturally and evenly and not too slowly for a few breaths prior to pressing If this doesn t work you can stop and restart the application Generally the breath detection once established is very reliable and you should not need to re calibrate during normal use Figure 3 shows you what a well calibrated breath signal looks like in the support window The upper trace is the temperature of inhaled exhaled air while the middle trace 1s its first derivative or gradient The yellow dotted lines are thresholds used for the detection of the breath turning points They should be reasonably far apart but close enough to the centre that the trace will easily and consistently cross to register a turning point Ei Sipe i r 2d 18 71 24 High Exhale Low Inhale Figure 3 A well calibrated breathing signal 3 2 Derived Breathing Parameters From the detection
15. r limit Outside Two limits are used the condition is met whenever the parameter is either above the upper limit or below the lower limit Above A single limit is used the condition is met when the parameter is above this Below A single limit is used the condition is met when the parameter is below this You can set the parameter used as the basis of this feedback using a combo box 1 in figure 7 You can choose from the following Br Rate Breathing rate The range is the same as that of the long term display combo box 2 in figure 6 I E Ratio Inhalation to exhalation ratio The range is fixed at 0 to 2 For example suppose you wish to maintain a steady breathing rate of around 6 breaths per minute You can set the threshold feedback to inform you if the breath is either too fast or too slow To set this up you would set the condition to outside then drag the threshold levels so that the upper is say around 7 bpm and the lower is say around 5 bpm 4 1 6 Audio Feedback Controls Midi Jerrate 7 gt a Breath Tone thesho z t az Threshold fm A A A A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Figure 8 Audio feedback controls Audio feedback allows you to use the application with eyes closed useful in meditation practice You can choose how much and how often the feedback is activated and thus how intrusive it is The controls figure 8 are found at the bottom of the main window labelled 6 in fig
16. tatus display in the top right corner of the main window see figure 2 The lamp shown as a red square in figure 2 should change to green when you press the play button If you do not see this happen it means that the application has not been able to establish a connection with your device Check it is plugged in and that the batteries are not flat For some devices you ll see a button rather than just text Pressing this button opens up a dialog that allows you to adjust settings related to the device such as COM port The specifics depend on the device see the Hardware Set up Guide for more details 3 Measuring the Breath 3 1 Breath Detection The breath sensor is actually a temperature sensor placed just below the nostril From the changing temperature of inhaled and exhaled air the system is able to detect the turning points of the breath and therefore derive breathing rate This method depends on a reasonable current of air coming through the nostril It should still work 1f you breathe with your mouth open as long as your nose 1s not completely blocked Speech will disrupt the normal air current and will give rise to unreliable breathing calculations 3 1 1 Breathing Calibration The breath detection method requires a short period of time to calibrate to your breath This happens automatically during the first 20 seconds of any session i e after you press play It s important that you breathe naturally and evenly and not t
17. uncnaddrdesunishiduawiarabahaininiuawana 11 4 1 6 3 WON SIONS osx tecoviiulilindewtdimnendssmeueticnd sumancuutadieadernonwiumiadaciiendsdnn 11 Bi UNDO VAG OW i cis iarvetirareaisintdaatanuetaaen dnsiccawewicinnledaWacniitiasilbinitesusfeletietnaiines 11 Sees C119 G Repos raser aoe eee een ESE 13 5 1 Report CID HONS eiciscsnssasicesicinaniannounieentaswanucentchirennlattnnahndantwbiiantdeaadwsaneiuineeaiiiuaeniin 13 5 2 Adding Notes to a REDON ors sicrivcvinacdacnondaasuxvonavedsxrevands anesusaenaimnaeramnats 13 5 3 Sample Session Report 0 ec cecceccecceeceeeeeeeeceneeeeeeceeaeeeeeeaeeeegeaeees 14 CAPIENTE OA EEE E E EEE UET 15 CIE TOn OPIO ansni Ee aai 15 Basic Breathing Application User Guide copyright Glyn Blackett 1 Introduction This guide introduces the Basic Breathing biofeedback application part of York Biofeedback s Mind Body Training Tools suite This set of applications is designed to develop skills in mind body awareness and self regulation particularly in a context of mindfulness and meditation practice The purpose of the guide is to teach you how to use the software though it is more of a reference than a tutorial Other training material is available on the York Biofeedback website address above The application monitors breathing via temperature of the inhaled and exhaled air This is the only input parameter in the application some of the other applications in the suite monitor breathing plus some other p
18. ure 4 There are three forms of audio feedback available midi breath tone and threshold based With each you can choose which breathing parameter to base the feedback on Each has an on off button appearing as green triangles 2 5 amp 7 in figure 8 but switching to red squares when the feedback is turned on Each also has an independent volume control sliders 3 6 and 8 in figure 8 graded on a scale of 0 100 For midi and breath tone feedback it is necessary to use a range for the feedback parameter just as for graphical feedback The range defines what values of the parameter correspond to the highest and lowest notes available Rather than creating separate controls the ranges are taken from the graphical range controls details are given in the tables below 4 1 6 1 Midi When midi feedback is turned on a musical note is played repeatedly whose pitch varies with the chosen feedback parameter The trigger for a note is the beginning of the inhalation You can set some options for midi feedback notably the instrument piano by default from the Platform i e before starting the application See the Installation and Set up Guide for further details Combo box in figure 8 controls the parameter used You can choose from those listed in the table below Generally the lower the parameter the deeper the midi note Br Rate The slower the breathing the deeper the pitch The pitch range is mapped to a parameter range defi
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