Breath is critical for our survival and it can take a mere three minutes without it to end our life. It is a fantastic tool that we have available to us at all times to change our state and the best part is it’s free!

We all live in a world that is changing rapidly and we likely all have experienced over time living in states of fear, exhaustion and overload which can affects us on every level. This can impact our immune system and weaken our health. Starving off this deterioration is why it’s imperative for your short and long term wellbeing to amp up your self-healing abilities by spending more time in the realms of rest and relaxation. You can induce this state of being is via slow breathing that emphasises long slow exhales.

We are made up of the sympathetic nervous system which rules the flight or fight response and the parasympathetic which regulates the rest, digest and recover functions.

Insights are more likely to arise when you are in a down regulated state. You are more capable of seeing yourself and your experiences objectively because your mind is quieter and receptive to insight.

Recovery from stress, worry, strenuous exercise etc does not equal watching tv, scrolling on social media, working on a computer and other screens as they stimulates our brains which also need time out too. For our bodies and brains to recover we need practices that promotes recovery. This is where our breath can help.

So what breath techniques can we use?

Witnessing the breath:
You can lay on your back or be seated and just observe your breath moving in and out of your nose. Notice the the areas of your body that swell and deflate. No feeling is too small to be observed.

Breathe when feeling overwhelmed:
Lying down, seated or standing, do 5 inhales by breathing into your nose a little longer and a bit more fully the you already are. For the exhale, move the same breath out your nose even more slowly and a bit more fully than you brought it in. On the fifth exhale, suspend the out breath until the need to breathe in feels like a mild necessity. Repeat a few more times.

Breathe for a burst of energy:
Lying down, seated or standing, complete 10 inhales through your nose, inhaling rapidly into your rib cage without holding it. For the exhale , allow each out breath to flow out your nose or mouth quickly before you jump immediately into the next inhale. On the final inhale hold your breath for as long as possible and then exhale. Repeat a few times.

All you need to do is show up and keep practicing and you will be so glad you can engage your breath as a tool to change your state.

In love and light x