Your most important tool to well being, to reducing stress, is your breath.
Breath helps us to communicate, to calm, to center, to circulate (not just oxygen but thoughts and insights). Like spirit and wind, breath is an invisible force.
“Breath deeply, breath consciously, for spirit is so near that you can’t see it” Rumi, 13th century Persian poet
How you breathe affects how you feel and your state of mind. It can be invigorating; it can be calming; it can bring clarity and done improperly (shallow chest breathing) can be a health hazard. We thrust our chin and neck forward especially while on the computer; we hold our breath; we stiffen our spine; we shrug our shoulders – all no no’s when it comes to healthy breathing.
We need to learn how to breathe “more slowly, more quietly, more deeply, and regularly,” says Dr. Andrew Weil.
Healthy breathing strengthens and improves the function of your diaphragm which will keep your spine flexible and your core strong.
How we breathe reflects the state of the nervous system and influences the state of the nervous system. The nervous system links the body to the brain and if you didn’t know, the brain (the cerebrum) is the master control center for absolutely everything (look forward to Nervous System 101 coming in the near future).
By consciously changing the depth and rhythm of your breathing you can change your blood pressure, your digestion, your circulation and your heart rate.
There are books and classes and cd’s too numerous to list on breathing but two of my favorites are The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi and the cd Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing by Andrew Weil, M.D.
For some of my personal favorites breathing techniques keep reading.
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist Monk
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