At the end of a long day, have you ever just let out a huge sigh of relief?
That's your body naturally releasing tension through your breath!
See?
You've already been practicing mind-body balance and didn't even know it.
The breath has so many physical & emotional benefits and the more you become aware of them, the more you have to gain from their powers.
Research shows that a regular practice of simple, deep breathing comes with some truly powerful benefits like:
… All that and to think, all you have to do is be aware of your breath.
Everyday balance doesn't get easier than this!
When you experience anxious thoughts, your body's ancient fight-or-flight response is stimulated, giving you a burst of energy to deal with the danger.
Your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, and you breathe mostly through your chest as a result.
This may leave you feeling short of breath, a common symptom when you're worried or irritated.
Sound familiar?
At the same time, your body releases cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline), which stimulate your blood pressure and pulse rate and make you feel revved up.
You'll be able to reverse these symptoms immediately and feel calm in your mind and body with deep breathing.
When you breathe deeply and slowly, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reverses the stress response in your body.
Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system's main nerve, which slows down your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure.
When you find yourself feeling anxious, ungrounded, or just “icky” out of balance, try this alternate nostril breathing technique known as Nadi Shodhana in the yogic tradition.
You'll be pleasantly surprised how much calmer you'll feel after!
Simple 5 Minute Breathing Technique - Nadi Shodhana
First, find a comfortable position and close your eyes. If you've been sitting all day maybe that means you want to stand, or alternatively if you've been on your feet all day maybe laying flat is what you need. What's important is that you're mindful of what your body needs and find whatever works for you!
Next, take a nice long deep breath in and out.
Hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril.
At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your fourth finger, lift your right thumb, and then exhale smoothly through your right nostril.
After a full exhalation, inhale through the right nostril, closing it off with your right thumb at the peak of your inhalation, lift your fourth finger and exhale smoothly through your left nostril.
Continue with this practice for 3 to 5 minutes, alternating your breathing through each nostril. Your breathing should be effortless, with your mind gently observing the inflow and outflow of breath.
Regularly practicing deep breathing for five minutes twice daily can result in long-term gains.
The best thing about it?
You can practice breathing techniques like this anywhere & anytime.
In the drive-thru line. In between meetings. On that flight you were anxious to board.
You literally have the ability to transform your life just by harnessing the power of your breath.
What's stopping you?
You got this.
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