Welcome to my 365 meditations for a more mindful, relaxed life. I provide you with a short, daily meditation to be more present and see your mind more clearly.
Breathwork is a great entry point for meditation and mindfulness. It has immediate benefits and prepares you for longer and deeper sessions. Today’s exercise is: The Psychological Sigh.
1. What To Do:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes.
Feel the weight of your body resting in space.
Take a long, deep inhale through your nose. Pause, and take a second short inhale.
Breathe out through your mouth, long and slow.
Repeat this until the timer goes off, take one last, deep breath and end this session.
2. Why to do it:
A study in Cell Reports Medicine showed that five minutes of this breathing exercises can more effectively reduce stress and improve mood than mindfulness meditation and other breathing techniques like the box breath:
“Breathwork exercises provide a sense of direct control over one’s physiology as opposed to passively attending to the presence of one’s breath during mindfulness meditation.
This enhanced sense of control could reduce anxiety quickly as perceived loss of control is a hallmark of anxiety.”
The psychological sigh is thus the perfect gateway for deeper practice. It creates a room for relaxation and wellbeing that lets you engage with your mind more deeply. You can do one of these sessions before you go to sleep and find yourself be more relaxed and content.
3. Closing
I designed this series to provide unique, interesting exercises for a more mindful and present life, which you more fully enjoy and find purpose in. Thank you for your efforts and hopefully until tomorrow’s 7th meditation.
