Breathe in, breathe out… seems so easy, but when you are stressed, anxious or angry, how do YOU breathe?
Most of us breathe about 20,000 breaths a day without any conscious thought. But many cultures place great importance on breathing: Hawaiian Kahunas consider it to be life force, Native Americans believe spirit enters the body with the first breath and most Indo-European languages use words for spirit and breath as the same.
Breath work is being recognized as a way to impact health and an increasing number of health practitioners are now teaching their patients breathing techniques or at least recommending them. Our brains use about 80% of the oxygen present in our bodies in order to function at it’s best, so how you breath can definitely impact this ability.
Not only do your heart and lungs depend on the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, but also there is a strong connection between emotions and breathing. The next time you are angry, anxious or upset, take note of your breathing. Are you taking slow deep, abdominal breaths? Probably not… you are either taking rapid, shallow breaths or intermittently holding your breath. You cannot be in an emotional state of calm when you breathe this way. Your blood pressure and heart rate go up, your digestion slows down, blood circulation is affected…and those are just the immediate effects. Longer-term, continued stress causes a myriad of maladies such as headaches, backaches, insomnia and irritability to name just a few.
Breath work is easy to learn, free, you can do it anywhere and it can have a big impact on your health and wellness. You cannot practice deep breathing and be stressed and anxious at the same time. Wouldn’t you like to learn some breathing techniques?