This year I’ve become much more aware of conscious breathing . . .
Breathing is essential to life . . . we know that . . . but can we become better breathers and will it matter?
Mindful, conscious breathing impacts every area of our health! It’s free, you don’t have to break a sweat, you don’t need a special outfit, you don’t have to go anywhere, you can do it anytime, and just one minute makes a difference!
The problem? Breathing is automatic (sub-conscious), so we don’t need to think about it and we don’t give it the credit it deserves. Conscious, mindful, loving breathing:
- Is calming
- Can support and reset your vagus nerve
- Is energizing
- Can reduce stress-related diseases
- Can reduce anxiety and depression
- Can increase mental focus skills
- Calms the nervous system (takes you out of sympathetic/fight or flight mode)
- Can improve digestion and can even make you a better athlete!
- IS FREE!
What makes it hard?
- It’s easy to not do it
- It seems too simple
- It requires daily practice
- Even 1 minute, 3 times a day will create amazing results for you.
Here’s your simple, get-started breathing drill
- Sit up straight – tall posture – quiet room
- Elbows and forearms resting on a table or chair arms
- This helps keep you from breathing with your upper chest and shoulders
- Breathe in slowly and quietly through your nose, expanding your full rib cage without raising your shoulders or upper chest
- Hold briefly at the end of the inhale
- Exhale quietly and slowly through your nose – take about twice the time you did on the inhale
- At the end of the exhale hold until you feel an urge to breathe (could be 5-30 seconds)
- Slowly inhale and repeat the process for 6 breaths – this will take about a minute
- Try to focus only on your breathing and avoid thinking about anything else
If you’re a member of our EASY Approach Program, be sure to check out the new video series on breathing drills.
Action Step: When you hit a moment of overwhelm, pause and breathe. One minute of conscious, loving breathing is the simplest and more affordable action you can take to calm your nervous system.