Breathing Is Free
/In life, there are a few things that we easily take for granted. But, when given a moment of conscious attention we can become immensely grateful for what we have and begin to understand the opportunities available to us. Breath and fresh air is one of these gifts.
Most people don’t breath! I include myself in this generalization! Most of the time we “sip’ air into our upper lungs and are content with that. But, there is a whole lot more the body needs from us so that is can thrive and work to its best ability as well as meet the demands we put on it.
(Check out Vanessa’s video on the Video blog page )
I like to use the analogy of the iceberg; we only see a small portion of the iceberg on top of the water but what lies beneath the surface is incredible. The depth of healing and stress relief that lies below the surface of our “sipping” are hidden from us unless we take the time to take a look - or in this case - a deep breath!
Breathing exercises can help you relax, because they induce your body to feel like it does when you are already relaxed. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress and anxiety in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.
Plus, a great way to stop a panic attack or anxiety attack is to distract your mind from paying attention to the trigger. Not only do you have to use your mind to count the breathes but the breathe is a relaxing in itself and is one of the best things you can do for yourself in this state.
The best thing about breathing exercises is that you can literally do it anywhere and almost at any time!
Plus Breathing is FREE! The benefits are deeper than that iceberg and once you get the hang of it - the sky is the limit and there are endless variations of the theme of deep breathing using your nose, mouth and tongue!
Benefits of Deep Breathing
1) Decreases stress and anxiety, increases calm
2) Relieves pain
3) Stimulates the lymphatic system (Detoxifies the body)
4) Improves immunity
5) Increases energy
6) Lowers blood pressure
7) Improves digestion
When you breathe through your mouth it “pressurizes” the abdominal muscles, it does not only give you a refreshed and relaxed feeling but also helps you lose belly fat. I suggest that you actually squeeze your tummy muscles to get that extra stimulation. By doing this exercise you will not only tone the unwanted fat around your belly but also tone your cheeks and chin. The extra fresh oxygen will be flowing into your body and after a short time you may start to feel rejuvenated and tingling.
Just like aerobic exercises help improve the health of the heart, breathing exercises can make the lungs function more efficiently. Pulmonologists (lung specialists) recommend breathing exercises for people with COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma because they help keep the lungs strong by exercising them.
How to breathe!
A simple and ancient regime to get started is to:
Breathe in for a specific count of 2
Hold for the count of 2
Exhale for the count of 4
so that you are always exhaling for longer than you are inhaling in a ratio of 2/2/4. This is a simple ratio to start off with and its easy to remember. (Ive given you a good introduction in the video how to start consciously breathing so check it out now!) The reason we breathe out for longer than the inhale is so that we have the intention of fully emptying our lungs. At first it may be hard to do but practice will help. I try to squeeze my tummy “upwards” into my ribs with the intention of squeezing out all the toxins and “old stagnant air” thats been trapped in the lower lung cavities.
After you had got used to this basic routine you can start to increase your inhales/holds/exhales! It can be quite a meditative exercise as you will be giving your very active mind “something to do and focus on” while you are breathing in, holding, breathing out and gradually increasing the ratios You’ll soon get the hang of it and start to notice the calming of your mind, reduction of anxiety or a a tingling feeling through your body as more oxygen is pumped into your blood from your inhales.
As you get better at it you can even change up the ratio of 2/2/4 ( inhale for 2, hole for 2, exhale for 4) to 7/7/11. We call this exercise 7/11 breathing, because you breathe in for a count of 7, hold for 7 and breath out for 11. If there is ever a time when you find that breathing for that long isn't possible, it doesn't matter. As long as your out breath is much longer than your in breath, it will still work. No need to strain to do this. if you practice you will bet better and start really benefiting from this FREE amazing exercise!
Additional options:
I you want to add to this routine, use the dame ratio pattern but you can breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
After to get used to that, you can add another “mind distraction” and breathe in through your nose and gently push your tongue to the roof of your mouth making a “hooh” sound as you exhale (continue to use the ratio pattern)
The main thing is to have fun, relax and be patient with yourself. If you havn’’t been breathing before it may take a little while to feel the benefits as you start to open up your lungs, use “new” muscles and start to focus your mind in a new way. But, don’t worry! The hidden treasures of breathing will reveal themselves to you that have been hidden below the surface for a long time.
****** If you suffer from gut issues such as constipation, candida overgrowth, gas, pain, bloating, IBS, hemorrhoids or more and are interested in learning ways to heal your body from the “bottom up” (FACT: a happy healthy gut means a happy healthy you) then take a moment to check out Vanessa’s online course “Gut Health Formula - complete guide and protocols to heal your gut naturally”
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