Take a breath
It might seem redundant to teach people how to breathe. After all, we do it unconsciously and instinctively, just like coughing or swallowing (or crying!). It seems, however, that many of us may not be harnessing the full potential of our breath. What does that mean? We’re missing out on the potential to transform our lives. It continues to be proven that breathwork techniques have astonishing benefits for our physical, mental and emotional states. Many traditions place emphasis on the breath for overall wellness, not just survival. It’s an important part of healing from physical disease and emotional suffering in ancient Eastern traditions. More recently it has been thrust into the limelight as people realise that the techniques do work.
Conscious and connected breathwork has long been used to alleviate stress and anxiety. Such practices involve becoming aware of your own breathing and altering it to create physical, mental and/or emotional benefit. There are many different ways to use the breath. You can start with simple attention to breath as a form of meditation and mindfulness and eventually extend to spiritual exploration. There are techniques of many variations, with ‘box breathing’ proving to be one of the most popular. Then there’s pranayama which is a yoga practice that focuses on breath. In Sanskrit, pranayama means ‘the extension of the life force’ - this should give you an indication of just how much weight is placed on the breath. A recurring theme throughout many of these practices lies in breathing through the nose, rather than mouth breathing. It’s supposed to help you breathe slower and deeper. According to James Nestor, the author of Breath, “As the diaphragm lowers, you're allowing more air into your lungs and your body switches to a more relaxed state”. By expanding breath in the body, you tap into diaphragmatic breathing which helps to access the parasynthetic nervous system and the gut-brain connection. This can result in improved immunity and a bunch of other benefits, since breath can affect every bodily function - the digestive, endocrine and lymphatic system, to name but a few.
Stress and frustration can often have a direct impact on our breathing patterns and the flow of breath through the body. This can recur long past the point of the initial trigger, with shallow breathing negatively impacting our health and wellbeing. It’s only when you bring awareness to how you are breathing that you tend to realise just how long you’ve been holding onto your breath or that you take short, sharp inhales instead of long, expansive breaths. Many assume that because breathing happens automatically, it’s beyond our control. However, studies show that the lung capacity of athletes and yogis is greater than that of the average person. Upon practicing breathwork, you may feel more energised as more oxygen is entering your lungs or tighter parts of your body can start to relax. As you experience benefits, experiment with new types of meditation and breathing techniques. These encourage positive mental health habits and can restore balance to your day.
The beauty of breathwork is how accessible it is: no equipment, special props or location is required. It can be done easily at any time of day. There really is a technique for everybody. The goal is to allow the mind to rest from constant thoughts and try to be in the present moment, even if it is just for a few moments. It encourages you to slow down and allow thoughts to pass through rather than focusing on each one as it enters the mind. Breathwork can bring an inner awareness to the body. Why not try out this technique below.
The stress-buster breathing technique
According to Nestor, alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) is a standard pranayama technique that can improve lung function and lower stress, heart rate and blood pressure. He recommends it before meetings, events or sleep.
Place the thumb of your right hand gently over your right nostril.
Place the ring finger of your right hand on the left nostril.
The forefinger and middle finger can rest between the eyebrows.
Close the right nostril with the thumb and inhale very slowly through the left nostril.
At the top of the breath, pause briefly and hold both nostrils closed.
Lift the thumb and exhale through the right nostril.
Upon exhalation, hold both nostrils closed for a moment.
Lift the ring finger and inhale through the right nostril.
Continue alternating breaths through the nostrils for 5-10 cycles.
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