Just Breathe! – Positive Reflection Of The Week
Just Breathe! – The Importance Of Breath – Written by Shahwana Khanam
The very freshness of our breath is what keeps us alive and well. however, we really take this for granted and we breathe and expect the next breath we take, to just happen automatically. Have we paid attention to how beneficial this breath can be for our wellbeing? Not just physically but emotionally as well?
The pandemic has restricted a lot of our movements, we are taking the norm as our new pattern of living! We have solutions to get better when our moods are low or when we are feeling exhausted when fatigue hits us.
Deep breathing helps a great deal, for example, to help release toxins, to revive our cells etc. We can start with deep abdominal breathing on a daily basis: –
At least thrice a day (best benefits are felt on an empty stomach)
Breathing exercises can help you relax because they make your body feel like it does when you are already relaxed. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.
Some of the benefits of abdominal breathing:
Increases supply of oxygen and nutrients to cells throughout the body.
Helps increase the supply of blood and nutrients to muscle, blood and bones.
Relaxes muscle spasm and relieves tension.
Releases and reduces muscular tension that eventually may cause structural problems.
Belly breathing:
1. Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
2. Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
3. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out.
4. Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling.
5. Do this breathing 3 to 10 times.
Anxiety in the workplace is a serious problem. What can you do to stay calm, rational and productive when dealing with a stressful situation? In several recently published studies, the authors explored the effectiveness of different techniques and found that one method — SKY Breath Meditation — offered the best results for both immediate and long-term stress reduction. This comprehensive series of breathing and meditation exercises engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” activities, helping you to calm down and think rationally in the face of stress. These simple techniques can help you sustain greater emotional wellbeing and lower your stress levels at work and beyond. – RESEARCH HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
When U.S. Marine Corp Officer Jake D.’s vehicle drove over an explosive device in Afghanistan, he looked down to see his legs almost completely severed below the knee. At that moment, he remembered a breathing exercise he had learned in a book for young officers. Thanks to that exercise, he was able to stay calm enough to check on his men, give orders to call for help, tourniquet his own legs, and remember to prop them up before falling unconscious. Later, he was told that had he not done so, he would have bled to death. If a simple breathing exercise could help Jake under such extreme duress, similar techniques can certainly help the rest of us with our more common workplace stresses.
The combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and battles for social justice have only exacerbated the anxiety that many of us feel every day and studies show that this stress is interfering with our ability to do our best work. But with the right breathing exercises, you can learn to handle your stress and manage negative emotions.
You see a clam mind can think with clarity & it can make the right decisions and take the right steps, that’s why these techniques help the brain feel calmer. With calmness comes clarity of mind and thought!
Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life. – Giovanni Papini
Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. – Oprah Winfrey
Learn how to exhale, the inhale will take care of itself. – Carla Melucci Ardito
When the breath is unsteady, all is unsteady; when the breath is still; all is still. Control the breath carefully. Inhalation gives strength and a controlled body; retention gives steadiness of mind and longevity; exhalation purifies body and spirit. – Goraksasathakam
If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance. – Andrea Boydston
For breath is life, so if you breathe well you will live long on Earth. – Sanskrit Proverb
Shahwana Khanam – Pranic Healer