Many people do not give much thought to breathing. It is an involuntary process that happens at birth. Something that occurs and then is forgotten, detached from our own self-awareness. Yet, breathing is important to how we live our lives - If we never breathe, we never live.
Our breath and how we consume oxygen dictates our moods, emotions, and overall states of wellbeing. Notice how your breathing changes when you are sad, angry, stressed, or relaxed. It is through our breathing patterns that our body is giving us clues to our current state of wellbeing. If we choose to listen to these clues, many of life's problems can be diffused as we step away to collect ourselves before pursuing any judgments in error.
The fact is we all know how to breathe and breathe correctly. If you don't, I doubt you will be reading much further. Everyone has breathed slowly, deeply, and effortlessly at some point in their lives. It's from the simple experience of living life that has left many of us blind to the natural breathing patterns of our early childhood. The good new is, breathing is just like riding a bike - once you learn, you never forget. Luckily for us, breathing is a natural condition of the human experience. We all know how to breathe; it just takes a little practice and patience to relearn how to breathe efficiently.
I believe it was through a program during grade school, when I initially began a conscious effort towards ineffective breathing. An instructor suggested to us that we breathe by sucking in the stomach and pushing the chest out as a means of maintaining a slim midsection. I erroneously took the advice and spent years following a shallow breathing pattern. It wasn't until I became a student of the Martial Arts that I became interested in correct and efficient breathing. We used breathing exercises as a means to calm our thoughts, and to become in-tune with our bodies and the moment. As I became more educated on the subject, I began to understand that proper breathing is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. The way I was originally taught to breath with the stomach in, chest out was most likely a prime mover in the stress-related problems of my early adolescence.
Mindful breathing has been shown to benefit a wide array of symptoms; from asthmatic complications to high blood pressure. Having trouble sleeping at night? Concentrate on your breathing and you will be counting sheep in no time. Suffering a panic attack? Be mindful of your breath and diffuse the stressful situation. Having trouble understanding and digesting new information? Give breathing a try, the appropriate intake of oxygen into the human body is essential for proper brain functioning. I could spend all day writing about the healthy benefits of mindful breathing, but somehow I think you get the point. Personally, I would much rather work on breathing than taking some prescription medication with a long list of side effects.
If I have peaked your interest, and you are ready to travel deep within and liberate your naturally given right to proper breathing, follow the simple guideline I have provided below.
Find a time and place where you will not be disturbed - Somewhere quiet and peaceful. Make this your personal haven for when you need to step away from things.
At first you may want to sit in a comfortable position, but over time you will want to attempt your breathing practice in various positions; sitting, standing, lying down, and while moving.
In the beginning, practice with your eyes closed. This will cut out one less distraction. As you become more proficient, you may begin experimenting with soft opening and closing of the eyes.
Breathe in and out softly through your nose, never straining at any point, and never holding your breath at any time.
Follow your breath and notice where it flows within your body. Do you breathe shallow, filling your upper chest, or is it a deep breath that penetrates your lower abdomen? If your breath stops at your upper chest, you are not breathing to your fullest potential. Begin allowing the air to flow into your lower abdomen. Work that diaphragm, it's there for a purpose. To get a feel for this, try placing one hand over your belly and one hand over your chest. When you inhale, you should only feel the hand that is on your belly moving.
Many people suggest counting on the inhale and the exhale. I tend to think that this takes away from the mind-body experience since you are focusing on the number not the breath or the sensations of your body. I would suggest to not count, but simply focus on the breath. How does it feel entering your nose, the back of your throat, and so on all the way into your abdomen? Do you feel any areas of tension or stress? If you find any tense areas, focus your awareness on them and feel (not visualize) their contours. Continue to breath while focusing your awareness on these points of tension, one-by-one, until they start to peel away like the layers of an onion. Peel away the layers until you feel that you can peel no more and then move on to the next point. Day by day, you will continue to strip away layers until eventually there is nothing left and the area is relaxed.
Begin by practicing for however long you are able. 5-15 minutes is a good starting point. Adjust your sessions as you find appropriate.
If you discover your mind wandering while in practice; acknowledge the thought, let it float away, and return to following your breath and feeling your body with your mind's awareness. You may also decide to end the session, and come back to it at a later time. The choice remains with you. As you continue to practice the gap between disturbing thoughts will continue to get larger and larger. Remember, the ultimate goal is a relaxed and comfortable state of being, never strain to continue a session.
I hope you enjoy the information as you begin to awaken a dormant part of your being that will have profound effects on your lives. |
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