What is so important about mindful breathing?
The average person takes in around 15,000 breaths per day. The breath is vital to life, yet how many of those breaths do you take consciously? It is quite possible that just reading that last sentence has made you more aware of your own breath – intrigued?
Keep reading…
As a busy entrepreneur, you likely spend most of your day tapped into the sympathetic (fight or flight) side of your autonomic nervous system. While this part of your nervous system is necessary to take action, meet deadlines, and manage others, it is not supportive to your wellbeing for you to be in this state all the time.
At some point you need to shift to your parasympathetic (rest or digest) nervous system in order to rest, integrate your experiences, and feel balanced.
Benefits of Breath Awareness/Control
Your breath acts as a backdoor to the autonomic nervous system, which controls various functions in your body automatically. By bringing awareness to your breath and starting to make subtle changes to the way you breathe, you can shift the state of your nervous system to allow your body to be in a more balanced state.
Connecting to your breath is also a great way to train your ability to concentrate, focus your awareness, and shift your mind away from worries or limiting beliefs that may otherwise be circulating in your mind all day.
Mindful Breathing Practices for Focus, Balance, Calm and Increased Energy
Here are four breathing practices you can try today. You can do these practices for as long as you would like, anywhere from 2-5 minutes will be very beneficial for you. Choose one and do it consistently over at least one week to notice the benefits.
With any breathing practice, it is important that you feel comfortable and at ease as you breathe. Let everything happen gradually, as you are ready to let the breath expand to support you.
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Mindful Breathing for Focus
Find a comfortable seat and become aware of your breath. Notice the feeling of expansion and centering, the temperature of your inhales and exhales, and the smoothness and ease with which your breath is flowing. See if you can begin to notice the spaces between each inhale and exhale. Just the simple practice of noticing your breath can invite you to slow down the pace of breathing naturally, and invite you into a calmer space where you are better able to concentrate.
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Balanced Breath
Start by breathing naturally. When you feel ready, bring an evenness to your inhales and exhales (i.e., inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 4). Once this feels comfortable for you, experiment with making the spaces between the inhales and exhales the same length as well. This practice is a great way to invite your mind and body into a more balanced state.
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Calming Breath
Start by taking a few natural breaths in and out. Gradually allow your exhales to get longer than your inhales. The exhale portion of the breath stimulates the restful part of the nervous system reducing heart rate, blood pressure, etc. in order to bring you into a state of calm.
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Energizing Breath
Start by taking a few natural breaths in and out. Gradually allow your inhales to get longer than your exhales. The inhale portion of the breath stimulates the active part of the nervous system allowing you to feel energized and ready to take on your day.
The more often you use these breathing practices, the more expansive your breath will become. These practices are also a wonderful way to train your autonomic nervous system to support you through challenging and stressful times.
For any questions about these breathing practices, you can contact Danielle at release.restore@gmail.com
Danielle D’Souza is a yoga and meditation teacher focused on helping women bring more self-love into their life through movement, meditation, and mindfulness. She is the host of Release and Restore – Guided Meditations and also recently launched Yoga and Mindfulness for Stress Release a Facebook community for women to free themselves from stress, improve self confidence and find more joy. You can find out more about Danielle and her company Yes and Yoga by visiting her website www.yesandyoga.com
Looking for guest contributor opportunities? Please email me at: catherine@catherinenikkel.com with a brief introduction to who you are and, how your topic of expertise relates to Mindful Media.
