Breathing seems simple, right? We breathe every day without having to think about it. But how often do you consciously focus on the technique itself?
Focused and controlled breathing benefits your body and mind.
From a physical standpoint, controlled breathing helps your diaphragm. This muscle is often in a squished position due to the amount of sitting people do. Controlled breathing awakens the muscle (putting you in better posture), allows oxygen to better circulate throughout your body and helps to better remove impurities from your muscles, joints and organs. Focused and controlled breathing also helps to engage the vagus nerve in your brain, which signals for the relaxation system to kick in and helps you to feel less anxious and tense.
From a mental standpoint, it clears your mind and allows you to reflect on your day. What did I do well today? What could I have done better? Controlled breathing helps you be more aware and, therefore, honest when answering these questions.
All it takes is 5-10 minutes of solitary deep breathing to reap benefits. Below are techniques to help you unleash your full breathing potential!
Mindful Breathing:
How do you feel? Take note of the changes that just occurred in your body and mind. Do you feel more calm and focused? This technique is great because you can do it anywhere, at any time.
5-minute Vacation
If your mind starts to wander, don’t get discouraged. Bring your attention back to your breath and your peaceful place.
Abdominal Breathing
This technique might be difficult to master at first, but it is a great tool to calm yourself down before a stressful event, such as a sporting competition, an exam or an important meeting.
Easy Movement Sync
Syncing breath with movement helps create awareness and strengthens your mind-body connection.
Dim the Lights
Light makes you feel awake. Dimmed light and darkness help your body release relaxation chemicals and slow bodily functions, allowing your subconscious to feel fully relaxed — and allowing you to fully focus on breathing and reflection.
Breathe well, breathe often and live fully.
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