As we go forward into the New Year with all the expectations and resolutions that we bring, a lot of us are thinking about change. Reforming our minds, reforming our bodies, and learning to love the things that we have instead of coveting the things that we don’t. The real issue is that we tend to start strong and fade out because we never embraced a change, we just thought about it.
In the busy lives we lead today, stress can come at us at any time, and that was the catalyst for me to really embrace the idea of Breathing through your Fear – so much so that I wrote an entire article on it – available in the Member’s Area (which is free to join if you haven’t yet – just click here).
Although some people think that breathing is just an unconscious process, when you take conscious control of each breath, you can actually lower your stress, discard negativity, lower your blood pressure, and actually change your entire emotional state.
The real secret is to pick up the habit before you need it. This is where we begin to tie in that you can’t wait until fight-or-flight kicks in before minding your breath. The effects of breathing techniques on anxiety have been studied at length & many experts encourage using the breath as a means of increasing awareness, mindfulness, or—for the yogis among us—finding that elusive state of Zen. To get to the bottom of the breath work, and to make it a habit you can use for life, I recommend that you start your day with the simple technique I outline in my article. As you use it, you’ll be able to use it anywhere – when the stress levels start to rise, when negativity starts to creep in, and just when you need to clear your mind of the bad Bubble Talk.
In a nutshell – use this technique to regain control of your breath, which is always the first thing that we can lose focus on when we are stressed: take a deep breath in through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs. The goal: Six to 10 deep, slow breaths per minute for 10 minutes each morning and throughout the day to experience immediate reductions to heart rate and blood pressure. Keep at it for six to eight weeks, and those benefits might stick around even longer. As you gain more control and begin to reassert yourself, you’ll find this becomes easier, but let me tell you – if you have been operating in a high-stress state for long periods of time, you might be shocked to learn how hard it can be to calm yourself down!
When we are under stress, we hold our breath. By simply remembering to breathe when we feel stresses – like public speaking, addressing anger, or even a scary moment in our daily lives, the tension and stress built up in our psyche can be alleviated right then! We then gain the freedom to explore our feelings uninhibited and really drill down into who we are. Remember, our true nature is to breathe the breath of life from the moment we are born until we pass through the veil of light.
