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Breathing Balance
Learning breathing techniques allows for the ability to have tools to utilize any place or anywhere.
If you feel off balance, here is something to try:
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Bring awareness to your breathing.
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Deepen your breaths making the exhale longer than the inhale.
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Focus your attention on your chest in the area of your heart.
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As you breath, imagine air flowing in and out of your heart or chest area.
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Find an easy rhythm of breathing that feels comfortable.
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As you continue to breath focusing on your heart, think of a positive, renewing emotion you would like to feel (i.e., appreciation, joy, love, proud, courageous, playful, patience, calm, ease, safety, comfort).
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Recall a time you have felt this emotion, bringing to mind a memory, and as many details you are able to imagine.
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You will start to feel this positive, renewing emotion in your body in the present moment even though you are recalling something from the past as our body doesn't know the difference in time.
This technique is a simple and easy way to interrupt the stress response in less than a minute. Use it 3-4 times a day for a few minutes. Good times to use it are first thing in the morning, during your day in transition moments, on your way home from work, before going to sleep at night, really anytime in your day. Also, use it whenever a stressful event occurs and when you want to re-balance, get an energy boost, and gain more mental clarity.
Stress affects the body physically, mentally and emotionally. It is not the event or situation that creates the stress, it is how we respond to it. Emotions have a powerful impact on the human body. Positive emotions like appreciation, care and kindness feel good and are good for us. They help the systems in our body synchronize and work better.
Research has shown when we intentionally shift to a positive emotion, our heart rhythms immediately change. This shift in heart rhythms creates a favorable cascade of neural, hormonal, and biochemical events that benefit the entire body.