Breathe.
If you feel overwhelmed,
breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.
If you are worried about
something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe.
It will bring you back to the present.
If you are moving too
fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.
Breathe, and enjoy each
moment of this life. They’re too fleeting and few to waste.
-Leo Babauta
In the modern
world of multi-tasking, the reality is we even forgot how to breathe…I am not
kidding…What? you don't believe it …so let us put a test for you. Wear your jogging
shoes & perform a running routine that will get you huffing a bit. At this
point, Stop & get seated. Place one hand on the abdomen and one on the
Chest and then watch.
In an ideal breathing,the lower hand should move out with
each breath,while your upper hand should remain relatively still.This is called
“Belly Breathing”.For most of us the opposite occurs,which is Chest-breathing.
In
Belly-breathing, every time we breathe in the belly should expand like a
balloon,and every time we breathe out, the breathe should deflate out. It
requires conscious effort to make Belly-breathing the default mode of breathing.
Breathe-in
patterns:
This works
while you are walking or running. Breathe-in…Step left and then the Right….breathe
out. Practice this 2-2 pattern & you can advace to 3-3 (Breathe in : Step
Left,Right & Left…Breathe Out)
Practice “Pranayama”:
Be seated
(Not on a Couch though!).
Close your
eyes and focus on the breathing..(This is important!)
Hold your
right thumb in “Thumbs-up” position and press it against the right nostril to
block it. Inhale slowly through the left nostril (be conscious of your breathe)
allowing the lungs to expand and
forcing the abdomen out. Then feel your chest expand with your collar bones rising
last.
Remove your thumb from your right nostril.
Keep your right hand by your nose and your lungs full of air. Use your ring and
middle finger to close your left nostril
Exhale slowly and completely with the right
nostril. Feel the collar bones dropping, chest deflating, and abdomen shrinking
as the lungs collapse. When you’ve finished exhaling, keep your left nostril
closed.
Inhale through the right nostril. Fill your
lungs.
Close the right nostril and open the left.
Continue this exercise for at least 5 minutes
Oxygen is the elixir of Life. We need to make
more use of it through effective breathing. This time around, I am not going to
talk about the benefit of Belly breathing. I am going to let you try it and
tell me what you felt after Belly breathing!...Come on...let us deplete O2 from this world
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