Stop and Take a Breath

Stop and Take a Breath

In the fast-paced society we live, sometimes we all need to slow down and take breath. Between work, social and family pressures it can be easy to feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious or burnt out at times, but breathing can help! I know it seems too easy but breathing very well could be the answer you have been looking for. This action of deep breathing also referred to as controlled breathing has been shown to help both the mind and the body.

Before we get into all the benefits of controlled breathing lets discuss what it really means and how to preform deep controlled breathing correctly. The basic premise of taking a deep breath in and deep breath out are true, but we want to emphasize and elongate these actions to really bring awareness and focus to our breath. By focusing on the breath your mind will start to quiet and begin to pull away from the thoughts causing the distress at that moment, it is used to “reset.”

  • Step One: If possible, try to find a quite location or somewhere you are comfortable, this is not required but will enhance the benefits.
  • Step Two: Find a place to sit, if possible, sit upright.
  • Step Three: Take a couple normal breaths in and out.
  • Step Four: Now begin to focus on your breath in through your noise, try to fill your chest and stomach, if helpful count as you breath in somewhere between 3 and 5 second is great, try not to exceed 7.
  • Step Five: This step is optional but hold the breath in for 3 to 5 seconds, if this makes you uncomfortable do not hold the breath.
  • Step Six: Breath out through your mouth, this will be a large exhale taking anywhere from 3-5 seconds.
  • Step Seven: Repeat, repeat this inhale and exhale at least four times, or continue to do this process for a couple of minutes until you begin to feel the effects.
  • Pro tip: Keep this practice gentle and slow, no need to inhale or exhale hard .

Practicing deep controlled breathing daily can have amazing benefits such as:

Reduced stress, reduced anxiety, reduced depression, reduced anger, improve immunity, lower blood pressure and can even help to relieve pain. These are just some of the benefits research has shown from incorporating a controlled deep breathing routine into your day. We encourage you to stop and smell the roses and well really just breath!

 

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