BreathWork and MINDFULNESS
Take a moment. Close your eyes and take 3 deep inhales and 3 slow exhales, through your nose down into your belly…. notice how you feel. What’s your heart rate like? Was the inhale more difficult than the exhale? Or was the exhale more difficult that the inhale?
Now take three short shallow breaths through your mouth. Now how do you feel? What’s your heart rate like? Temperature? How does your body feel, tensed or relaxed?
Ok, now one more time. Take 3 deep breaths in and out through your nose. Become aware of your body while you inhale and then release as you exhale. Check in again. Notice your heart rate. notice the level of tension in your body.
You just did a quick mindful breathing exercise. That’s it. It’s that simple. If you did nothing else for breathwork, other than taking 3 deep breaths throughout the day, you would be able to make leaps and bounds in pain levels, stress levels, and more.
Now for those of you that want more, you could spend years perfecting several different breath techniques that serve different purposes. But in this article, we’ll just explore a few techniques that I use regularly and what they are for. I’ll also give you some awesome resources that I love!
Yoga and Breathwork
For thousands of years, Yogis and practitioners of Ayurveda have developed and tested many different techniques for breath. Some are just as simple as a deep belly breath. Others are more cleansing like the breath of fire, traditionally called Kapalabhati. I highly suggest looking up yogic breathing techniques if you want some amazing meditative practices. Below are a few that I really love and use regularly.
Alternate Nostril Breath
Great for calming the body and mind. It centers and refocuses you. And it also helps clear nasal passageways when they’re a bit stuffy. I tend to use the alternate nostril breath when I have a lot of heavy thinking to do or something that requires a lot of concentration. When I taught yoga classes I would always start our balance classes with alternate nostril breath.
To do alternate nostril breath, take a hand and make the star trek Vulcan hand signal. (AKA bring your pointer finger and middle finger together and away from your ring and pinky finger.) Place your thumb on the side of your nose, your pointer/middle finger on your forehead, and your pinky/ring finger by the other nostril. Close off one nostril with your thumb take in a regular breath through the open nostril, hold for 4 seconds, close the other nostril off with your pinky/ring finger, then breathe in through the other nostril. Hold and switch again. I usually do 4-6 full rounds at a time. Followed by some regular deep breaths.
3 part breath
Great for recentering, and refreshing yourself throughout the day or in times of high stress or needed relaxation. I usually like to bring a hand onto my chest and my belly.
Take a deep breath in through your nose, deep into your belly, letting your belly expand, then open your ribs up and out while that part of your lungs fills, and then lastly fill the top of your lungs, usually letting your shoulders rise a little. Then exhale in the same fashion. belly, ribs, chest. You can switch the order to chest, ribs, and then belly. I’ve seen it done both ways. Do what feels good to you!
Mindfulness
Being mindful is as simple as being present. Bringing your focus to the moment of time that you are in now. But simple doesn’t mean easy. There are many practices that help you be mindful and they are available without spending any money on gadgets or complicated techniques.
Body Scan
Body Scans are wonderful ways of bringing your awareness to your body, helping lower anxiety and pain, and bringing you back to the present moment. Take your awareness to different parts of your body. I like to start with my hands. We have many nerve connections in our hands so our hands are a wonderful place to start since they are easily accessible to our conscious mind. I also like to start with my dominant hand for the same reason.
Here’s an example of a body scan order.
right hand thumb
right hand 2nd finger
third finger
fourth finger palm of hand
back of hand
right wrist
right forearm
right upper arm
shoulder
waste
right hip
right thigh
lower leg
ankle
top of right foot
big toe
second toe
third toe
fourth toe
whole right leg
Repeat of other side starting at the left hand and ending at the head
You don’t need to spend a lot of time in each area. Just enough to bring your awareness to it and begin to relax it. The more you practice, the more you’ll be able to relax with each pass and it will get quicker.
Mindful Walk
This is one of my most favorites for people who struggle with meditation. Getting the body moving allows you to get out of your head and to feel your body. So try going for a walk and paying attention to your surroundings in a curious way. What do you hear? What do you smell? See? Maybe even taste?
Feel your feet press into the ground, what part of your foot do you land on? What part do you step off of last? Do your arms move with you or are they stiff? Does one hip move more freely than the others? How does your heart rate change as you walk?
You can even upgrade your mindfulness practices with breathwork! And to pack an even bigger punch if you can walk in an area that is more natural like a forest or park surrounded by trees, you’ll boost the healing powers of your walk. Walking in nature is an entire healing treatment in Japan. Check out Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing) if you’re interested in the healing powers of being around trees.
As you practice you will be able to maintain meditative states for longer, get deeper into relaxation, and reduce your stress and pain level naturally.
Enjoy your practice and as always stay WILD.
