Breathing is living: steps and technique

As mentioned in my previous post on working out, focusing on breathing has been vital to me in the process towards self awareness.

I fundamentally believe that how we breathe defines the type of life that we live. What do I mean by that?

Let’s do a quick exercise to test our current breathing pattern.

Sit in a very relaxed posture. Place one hand on the stomach area and the other on your chest. Close your eyes and for a minute, try and focus deeply on the way you breathe. Notice at this moment which of your two hands rises — your stomach hand or your chest hand?

How does your breathing feel? Is it deep? Is it shallow? Is it irregular?

You will probably notice that if you are in a particular emotional or mental state you will breathe differently than if you were in a normal state.

In order to breathe correctly, your stomach area must rise more than your chest as your diaphragm expands.

The following are Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4–7–8 breathing patterns:

1. Breathe into your diaphragm, not shallow “chest” breathing
2. Inhale through the nose through the count of 4
3. Hold the breath for a count of 7
4. Exhale through the mouth for a count of 8
5. Take longer to exhale than to inhale
6. Slow down! (reduce your breaths-per-minute)
7. Practice until it becomes your natural breathing pattern.

Most of the time the way we breathe will determine the way we feel and this will have an influence on the quality of our life. We should breathe slowly, deeply and naturally in order to feel completely relaxed.

Every time you feel anxious, upset, or panicking, practice by going back to the above breathing pattern. Focus on what type of breathing you use depending on how you feel: is it chest breathing or is it abdominal breathing? Use the correct breathing pattern.

Notice how your breathing changes when you practice every day.

After all, proper breathing is considered the most important practice for healthy living.

Happy Destress Monday!