Mindfulness + Breathwork
Something I have started doing over the past year has been focusing on my breath and it’s completely allowed me lower my stress and anxiety. Maybe it’s as I get older or maybe it’s the world telling me to slow down but I never took the time to think about how taking even 5 minutes to sit down and focus on slowing down my breath could effect my entire day.
Throughout my late teens and twenties I as always such a busy body - I always had 2 jobs, working out, working on a side hustle, hanging out with friends or travelling. If there is one thing I could tell my younger self, it would be to slow down and enjoy the ride a little more. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed those years and travelled more than most people do in their lifetime. But it’s the little things that I realize now are just as important, if not more important.
One of those things, is the simple act of taking time for myself to set my intentions for the day, write down my gratitude list, and focus on my breath. The simple act of breathing that gives us life. Yoga has been am incredible outlet for me to lower my anxiety and stress and has brought me to understand the importance of my breathe. If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you’ve heard the instructors remind you to control your breath, called Pranayama, and it teaches you to breathe consciously, with awareness, and with intent. Within the teachings, there exists many different exercises that can help you tap into your breath as a means of building self-awareness and focus during meditation or yoga.
The feeling I get after sitting down for even 5 minutes to clear my mind, focus on my breath and set one intention for my day is like nothing else.
Find a comfortable place to sit and a comfortable position
Close your eyes and try to clear your mind
Take a deep breath in through your nose for four counts and deep breathe out through your mouth for six counts
Repeat this for 2-5 minutes
Not only has this practice helped lower my stress it has also helped me be more mindful of my relationship with food. For example, it’s allowed me to become much more mindful of sitting down to enjoy a meal by chewing (sounds weird I know but we tend to inhale our food) and relaxing while eating it. It sounds simple right? A lot of us eat on the go or stuff something in our mouths because we don’t make the time to sit for 15-20 minutes and enjoy the food that is fuelling our bodies.
