Breath Work

Why is it important to breathe? Well of course we need to stay alive but taking a deep breath has huge benefits, not only does it help to clear your mind, it can make you healthier and reduce stress and anxiety levels.
Many of us don’t actually know how to breathe properly instead of taking deep breaths and using the diaphragm to fill the lungs; we take short breaths and use the weaker surrounding muscles. Breathing correctly creates more oxygen saturation in the cells, which activates a number of different nerves and creates a relaxed and alert state.
Lack of oxygen can make you feel tense and nervous. Taking a lovely deep breath lowers your heart rate, blood pressure and improves circulation, which calms you down and clears your mind.
Deep breathing is beneficial for the lungs in that it forces oxygen to fill the deepest parts of the lungs and breaks up any particles and residue that may be there. Deep breathing helps to improve lung capacity and performance.
Next time you feel anxious bring your thought to your breath, I guarantee you are taking short shallow breaths. These breaths trigger the mind to think it’s in danger which put you into fight or flight but when you change to take deep and slow breaths the brain receives a message that tells the nervous system to calm down.
When you focus on your breath you bring your mind into the present. You also are taking control by telling your brain to concentrate on breathing deeply, when its focus is on the breath, it can’t be thinking about things that can make it nervous.
Allow these few reasons to encourage you to breathe deeply:

• Elevates your mood
• Improves cell regeneration
• Makes the heart stronger
• Boosts energy levels
• Strengthens the immune system
• Releases tension
• Detoxifies the body
• Relaxes the mind & the body
• Brings clarity
• Relieves pain
• Massages your organs
• Increases digestion
• Improves the nervous system
• Strengthens the lungs

To start this new habit:

• Start your day on the right foot. When you wake up take one minute and do some deep breathing.
• Next during the day when you notice you are stressed or standing in a que do a cycle of deep breaths.

This is the first step in managing your stress.
The correct way to breathe:
Most of us don’t breathe correctly. We breathe with our chest, which ends up working the wrong muscles. We really need to be breathing into our stomachs using the diaphragm.

1. We should always exhale first, so that the lungs are completely empty for the inhale.
2. On the inhale you want to breathe deeply into and expanding the belly with air. That way we use the entire lung capacity.(pushing the belly out)
3. On the exhale you want to you use your abdominal muscles to push all the air out.(pushing the belly in)
4. I have given 3 variations, the mind will get board of always using the same one , so you can choose between these.

Variation 1: The 4-4-6

1. Exhale
2. Inhale through nose for the count of 4 (remember push belly out)
3. Hold the breath & tighten  tummy muscles for the count of 4
4. Exhale through nose or mouth for the count of 6 (remember push belly in)
5. Repeat #2-4

 
 Variation 2: The 4-4-4-4

1. Exhale
2. Inhale through nose for count of 4 (remember push belly out)
3. Hold for the count of 4
4. Exhale through nose or mouth for count of 4 (pushing the belly in )
5. Hold for the count of 4
6. Repeat #2-5

Variation 3: The 5-3-5

1. Exhale
2. Inhale through nose for count of 5 (remember push belly out)
3. Hold for the count of 3  
4. Exhale through nose or mouth for count of 5 (remember push belly in)
5. Repeat #2-4

When doing these exercises on the inhale you can imagine your body being filled with a golden healing, balancing energy & on the exhale imagine your cells releasing waste and emptying out your old energy.
Remember sometimes it takes a while before we see results just keep at it and you will see the difference