Breath Work.
Deep breathing is one way we can take pauses in our day.
Regardless if you’re working, in school, on holiday, or just going about your routine, your nervous system is activated and produces adrenaline and the stress hormone, cortisol, so you can be ready to react to any good or bad stress you’ll encounter.
Breathing from our stomach instead of our chest, helps us to breath deeper, allowing for more oxygen to fill our bodies. The more oxygen flow we have, the easier it is for our nervous system to turn on it’s relaxation response system. Thereby. causing our heart rate to slow, our muscles to release tension, and other automatic bodily functions, like digestion, to work properly.
Deep breathing exercise
Let’s take a moment together to breathe deeply.
First, notice if you’ve been holding in your breath. Push out any air that you’ve been holding in. Breathe in and exhale as you normally would for one breath.
Next, slowly inhale through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth as if you’re blowing on a feather. Hear your breath move in and listen to it move out. Do this again.
Now, inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4 as you fill your stomach with air. Feel your stomach expand. Hold your breath for a count of 2. Exhale slowly for a count of 6.
If at any point of holding your breath you feel dizzy or faint, skip the holding of your breath. Focus instead on your slow inhale and slow exhale.
Let’s breath together again. Just like you did before, inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4 as you fill your stomach with air. Hold your breath for a count of 2. Exhale slowly for a count of 6 through your mouth as if you we’re blowing on that feather. Feel the air move out of your stomach and your body start to soften.
Do this 2 more times, and if any thoughts begin to enter your mind, just notice them without judgment and return your attention to the count of inhale, hold, and exhale.
Inhale slowly through your nose for 1, 2,3, 4. Hold your breath for 1, 2. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Feel your stomach and your body soften deeper.
Last breath, inhale slowly through your nose for 1, 2,3, 4. Hold your breath for 1, 2. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Notice your body settle and feel lighter.
You can return to your breath anytime. The more often you breathe deeply throughout the day, the more you help your body to move out of alertness to a state of calm.