The first thing you do when you are born is breathe. The last thing you will do before you pass on is breathe. And all the way in between, you will breathe!
With each breath you take (between 17000 -23000 a day), in oxygen, the good stuff, and release carbon dioxide, the stuff we don’t need.
Our breath is the most powerful, natural, free way to come back to calm and stillness when you feel anxious, agitated, out of sorts. It brings you ‘home’. Home to your living, breathing self. It is your safe harbour.
Many popular expressions realise the power of our breath. You say ‘I just need a breather’, you encourage people to ‘take a deep breath and do it’, you advise yourself to ‘breathe through’ pain, you ‘breathe a sigh of relief’. You ‘breathe life’ into an idea, a home, a project.
Your breath is precious.
Most of the time it happens automatically. When you take a few moments to listen, focus, and still your breath, you offer yourself a wonderful gift. It doesn’t take long, it doesn’t cost anything.
Conscious breathing can be the most revolutionary practice you plan into your day.
In today’s world, technology is a part of your team, whether at home or at work and sometimes whether we want it or not.
Technology doesn’t need to breathe or stretch or exercise; it doesn't need a safe harbour, or to feel calm. It can continue non-stop. It doesn’t feel!
Artificial intelligence is accelerating this ‘faster, quicker, more, more more’ atmosphere. ‘It’ doesn’t need a breather; ‘you’ do!
Many of our thoughts are about yesterday or tomorrow or in a worried ‘what if this happens or that happens’ time zone. Most work meetings are about what the plan is for tomorrow/next month/next quarter/next year.
All of this takes you away from the here, the now. A few minutes of conscious breathing can bring you back ‘home
What happens when your breath is tight and shallow?
When your breathing is tight, your thoughts are probably ‘tight’ (anxious, worried, stressed, negative).
By tight and shallow, I mean your breath stays up in your chest and doesn’t flow down into your tummy. You’re not getting as much oxygen around your body as when you breathe fully.
When your breath is tight, your shoulders hunch up, your face is tense, especially your jaw and mouth, and there is visible physical tension.
When your breathing is rapid, your thoughts are more likely to be rapid, anxious or stressful.
And often you don’t realise this is happening; it creeps in slowly but surely.
Just check in with yourself right now as you read this: is your jaw clenched? Is your mouth tight? How about your shoulders? Relax all of that and let go! Now carry on reading…
What does conscious breathing do?
When you watch and are involved in your breathing, it brings you back ‘home’, to here, to now.You can only breathe in ‘now’. You can’t breathe in ‘yesterday’ or in ‘tomorrow’. That last breath you just took is gone! That future breath hasn’t happened yet.
And when you ‘feel’ your breathing, you reduce anxiety and stress. When you breathe consciously, your breath is not just something that happens; you take a few moments to firstly notice what is going on before you breathe consciously to calm and regulate it.
Let’s practice! Extend your exhale
Lengthening the out-breath calms the body and the mind, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and softens the muscles, reducing tension.
When you breathe in, you naturally contract, and when you breathe out, you naturally let go.
When you extend the exhale, you invite letting go, softness and relaxation into your body.
1 - Settle down; it can be sitting, in which case just make sure that both feet are on the ground and arms placed on your thighs. If you lie down, keep your legs uncrossed and lay your arms along your body.
2- Take the time you need to simply notice. Nothing else. Don’t just jump right in! Your breathing might be jagged or irregular or high up in your chest; it doesn’t matter, just observe. After a few moments, it will gradually calm down.
Step 3 - With your next in-breath, count up to 4 and hold slightly at the top of your inhale.
Then slowly let go either through your mouth or your nose - but slowly - not with force or pressure.
As you let go, count slowly to 6 or 7 or 8. The number depends on you and how far you feel you can go. When you practice regularly, your capacity to help your breath move further down and through your body will become easier.
Step 4 - Let your breathing do its own thing for a couple of breaths; when you are ready, repeat. Steps 3 and 4 for as many rounds as you want
If you want, you can also add a word at the end of your exhale - relax, quiet, peace, still, space, joy...
Create time each day to ‘come home’ to yourself
To finish, I love this poem by Nina Heyen
Thrive by Nina Heyen
Let your body sink into the arms of silence
The deep solace of a soul at peace.
Stop the world for just one moment
And inhale the soothing still.
Rest your mind for just one instant,
And let your breath
Steer you home