Breath Practice
Breathwork is for everyone. Babies know how to breath - watch their tummies - as they got their diaphragmatic breathing to perfection. Once they reach 5 years old and begin their school journey something happens to the rhythm of their breath, (hmmmmm stress you may think!?!?!?!?) and as we all need to do - relearn how to mindfully breathe once again! Observe a baby’s breath - they are our teachers!
In the late 1970’s Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction brought yoga and meditation to mainstream medicine for chronic illness and pain (G-D Forbid) As he says: “drop in with your body, get quiet and attend” - love that!
Why Breath Is Vital For Your Health
Your breath effects your emotions and mental well-being. Your breath can be the pathway to leave the state of fear and anxiety - we call the fight and flight mode and therefore, relaxes your mind and body. Fight and Flight is quite the opposite from Rest and Digest. Your breath is a magical tool to shift your situation - I’ve been there plenty when I needed to calm my breath, heart rate and feeling of angst in times when and where I felt a loss of control and a feeling of anxiety creeping up. It works wonders!
Your Fight and Flight response releases hormones which creates all sorts of adventures within your mind and body - each feeding each other - yes, your psychology feeds your physiology and vice versa. The fight and flight response releases hormones that cause your heart rate to beat faster, blood sugar levels rise, you might begin to sweat, feel uncomfortable in your own skin. But, you CAN do something when stress arises and ‘stuff’ happens - and it can happen anywhere and you can change your dial anywhere. Breath-work a.k.a. Box Breathing, Pranayama, Breath Practice: are all pretty much the same as they are used in stressful situations and can reset your breath to calm down and relax your parasympathetic system.
Every-time you exhale deeply you stimulate your parasympathetic system which produces a calm and relaxed feeling in your mind and body. This breath action reduces stress and improves your mood. A few seconds or minutes of intentional mindful breathing can bring you into a happier and healthier state.
Ingredients
your body
inhalations
exhalations
gentle gaze or eyes gently closed
Instructions
-sit on a chair with feet grounded or sit on a mat, blanket or pillow comfortably
-back straight
-eyes gently closed or softly gazing at a still object
-exhale - let all the air out through your mouth to begin your breath practice
-as you practice your breathing exercise seal your lips and continue breathing in and out through your nostrils
-inhale for 4 counts
-hold for 4 counts
-exhale for 4 counts
-hold for four counts
-if you find your mind wandering use a mantra - an inspiring word or phrase to repeat in your mind to stay focused
example of a mantra: “when I breath in, I feel energized, when I breathe out, I feel relaxed” or “when I breathe in, I feel supported, when I breathe out, I feel free”
-Practice this breathing technique for 1 minute or a few minutes - until you feel calmer, less stressed and your mood shifts for the better
Sources:
my personal teachers:
Jon Kabat-Zinn professor of medicine and creator of Stress Reduction Clinic
Mark Divine-former navy seal and founder of SealFit
Brian MacKenzie-author Unplugged, co-founder of Power Speed Endurance
Dr, Belise Vranich- clinical psychologist and founder of Breathing Class
Ashley Turner-yoga psychology and mind body psychotherapy
Much needed breath love,
Genia
Pranayama - Box Breathing - Breath Practice = breath control in yoga