Monday Morning HeartBeats

Short inspirational stories, poetry, quotes, and musings to kick off your week.

Breathe and Relax

Breathing is the most essential function for life. It is the only physiological function that can go merrily on it’s own without you even thinking about it OR it can be consciously controlled very easily.

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “Conscious breathing is the single most important thing you can do for your health, diet and exercise not withstanding.” What a powerful statement!

While there are dozens of different breathing exercises to help you relax, we’ve chosen our favorites to share with you. Here are several different breathing exercises you can practice on a daily basis to help your body and mind relax. If you would like to have Patricia’s voice guide you in these exercises, click on the link below each section. (Unless you have a cold or nasal restriction, these exercises are done breathing through your nose.)

Full deep breathing
Start by placing one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your upper chest. Breathe as you normally do for several breaths, paying attention to how your hands are moving. (Closing your eyes for these breaths can help you focus.) If you feel your top hand moving more than the bottom hand, focus on breathing all the way down to your abdomen, utilizing ALL of your lungs. Breathing only into the top part of your chest is a stressed breathing pattern, and doesn’t fully fill your lungs with all the oxygen your body needs. Practice several more deep, easy breaths. As you do, let your shoulder, neck, and back relax. Continue this deep breathing for a few minutes if possible. Then go about your day feeling refreshed!

Try putting up post-it notes reminding yourself to breathe deeply!

Listen to the audio -

Extend the exhale
Extending the exhale can help you relax very quickly. Start by taking some deep, easy breaths and letting your shoulders, back, and neck relax. Then focus on breathing OUT twice as long as you breathe in. Practice breathing in counting to three and breathing out counting to six. The extended exhale empties your lungs more fully than usual, automatically triggering a fuller inhale. This provides more oxygen to your body and helps to reduce the stress response. The longer exhale also triggers the vagus nerve, which is an important part of the system that relaxes the body (the parasympathetic nervous system.) Practice the extended exhale several times, then return to your activities feeling relaxed yet alert.

Listen to the audio -

Holding the breath and exhaling
Once again, take some deep, easy breaths, letting your shoulders, back, and neck relax.
Then take a really deep breath through your nose, hold it for several seconds, then breathe out through your mouth, making a gentle sound. Repeat several times, then go back to your activities feeling energized and refreshed!

Listen to the audio -

Breathing to relax and sleep
If you are having difficulty relaxing to get to sleep, use this exercise every night to retrain your body how to relax. Lay on your back. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other hand over your abdomen. Take some deep, easy, full breaths. Imagine that you are breathing in relaxation and breathing out any tension. Do this for several breaths. Then imagine that you are breathing in relaxation and breathing out any tension from the day.

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