FROM OUR PODCASTS
MORE BREATHING EXERCISES
Are you a belly breather or a chest breather?
You can do this sitting up straight or lying down. If you’re sitting up, keep your spine straight. Relax your shoulders, try not to hunch them.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep inhale through the nose and let go of the exhale through the nose.
Repeat this two or three times, breathing in and breathing out.
Now place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest.
Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose. Notice where you can feel the breath more.
Can you feel it more in your chest or can you feel it more in your belly?
Breathing Through Anxiety. You can practice this at home or at work
Feelings of anxiety are based around fear. Fear is a very old pattern and often it stops us in our tracks. Our body can sense it before we can, it tenses up and our breathing pattern changes. We can feel it reacting in our body and by remembering that it is simply energy we can take hold of it and alter the feeling rather than it taking hold of us. Here’s a simple exercise to notice the pattern, breathe through it and come out the other side.
Try this….reframe the story and remember it’s just a story. It’s not real.
You can do this anywhere, sitting at your desk or at home. Remember to sit up straight and relax your shoulders. Feel your feet connecting to the ground. First be aware of the feelings and sensations that you are feeling in your body. Track them and get curious, is it in your belly, is it in your chest or perhaps somewhere else? Notice your breathing pattern, is it rapid, is it shallow, does it feel restricted? Now breathe deeply into the diaphragm, allow the belly and ribcage to expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale. Place your hands on your lower abdomen and breathe into here.
As you inhale the belly expands like a balloon. Notice the feelings and greet them like an old friend, become the observer rather than entertaining the feelings and feeding them. Connect to your feet on the ground and imagine that they are growing roots into the ground. As you breathe in and out imagine the breath is coming all the way down to your feet. Be aware of the sensations in your body as you breathe in and breathe out. Try not to fight the sensations or push them away just notice them and eventually they will fade away. Breathe through the sensations in your body and as you breathe in and out use affirmations ‘I let go’. Continue to breathe deeply into the belly inhaling and exhaling and stay present with your breath. This will help to ground and centre you bringing you back to the present moment.
Conscious Connected Breath Exercise
Conscious Connected Breath is a cutting-edge breath technique. Here’s a simple exercise you can practice on your own. Prop yourself up on the bed at a semi-reclined angle with cushions or pillows behind you so your chest is higher than your legs.
Make sure you are warm and comfortable, and that your head and neck are supported. Place your hands on your lower abdomen – a few inches below the navel. Relax the jaw and open the mouth wide and take a deep inhalation, belly should rise like a balloon, and exhale with a quick sigh.
Stay present with the inhale and the exhale. Inhalation should be about twice as long as the exhalation. Exhalation should be quiet and relaxed like a soft sigh.
Keep the breath connected so no pauses between breaths and coming in and out like a wave motion. Repeat up to 1-2 minutes and notice any physical sensations in the body. Rest for one minute as you return to a normal breathing pattern – breathing through the nose.
Balancing Breath for Centering Self
If right handed, place the thumb of the right hand over the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Breathe into the left nostril to the count of 8 and hold the breath to the count of 8. Cover the left nostril with the index finger of the right hand and exhale through the right nostril to a count of 8 and hold the breath for a count of 8. Cover the right nostril with the thumb and repeat the cycle ten times.
‘Ha Breath’ For Digestion and Joyful Energy
Stand with the feet placed shoulder width apart with knees bent. Place your hands on your lower abdomen and inhale through the mouth expanding the diaphragm. Exhale quickly through the mouth making the sound, HA. Repeat rapidly for 2 minutes.