Use breathing techniques to control mood and stress
Sometimes when we find ourselves being overwhelmed by the world, we just need to take a step back and breathe. It sounds so simple, but how we breathe has an amazing ability to change our mood and energy levels. Your breath is the connection between the mind and the body and we can manipulate it. Breathing control is a powerful tool to control our emotional reactions in sudden situations where perhaps you have no other tools at hand to bring mindfulness. Breathing is unique in that while it is an involuntary response, we can still control how we do it. Quite literally, as well as symbolically, breathing bridges us between conscious and subconscious, growth and decay, life and death. Yet despite how important and even spiritual breath can be, very few of us know how to utilize it or even breathe properly. Here at Bullionite, we recognize the need to be connected to our bodies as well as our minds for healthy and fulfilling lives. We have many techniques to use breathing in order to create or diminish energy but we have to learn to walk before we can run, so here is a brief lesson on how to breathe properly.
As we said previously, breathing is an involuntary action, meaning you have no control on whether you breathe or not. Though it is involuntary to do it, we can choose how we do it. Most people breathe improperly, in that they focus on the inhale but not the exhale. You can always see someone breathing in, but very rarely do you see them breathing out. The stagnation of air in the lungs can make us feel sluggish and unfocused, so it is important to make an effort to improve your breathing. To begin this breathing exercise, focus on your breath, inhaling deeply but also exhaling deeply. When you feel you have reached the end of your exhale, pull your lungs in even deeper, getting out the last bit of air. Now start with your inhale, breathing in fully till you feel your lungs fully expanded, then let out your deepest exhale.
The second thing most of us get wrong with breath is where it is coming from. We tend to just focus on the lungs but there is a second organ responsible for our breath as well, our diaphragm. If you have had any experience in learning how to sing you will be familiar with the idea that the power of our voice comes from our diaphragm much more than our lungs. The diaphragm is located right under the lungs and provides muscular contraction to help the lungs do their job. When you get hiccups what you are actually feeling is that diaphragm contraction being out of sync with your breath due to stress, indigestion or eating too fast. The hiccup you feel is specifically that contraction. The diaphragm offers a short, powerful punch to help the lungs do their job.
Now it is time to focus on your diaphragm with your breathing. Fill your lungs with air as you have been but allow your belly to also fill with air. In the diet conscious world we live in most of us are afraid to allow ourselves to relax our bellies and expand them, but we assure you that filling your belly with air won't permanently alter your waistline. Let your belly fill with air and feel your whole body come alive with all this added oxygen. Now start with your exhale, pulling your belly button to spine while letting your ribs slowly drop. When you think you reached the end of your breath, press in a little deeper, getting the last bit of air out of your body.
Now on your next breath in, try to focus on how your diaphragm does the work. On your inhale, let your belly fill first and see your lungs also following. On your exhale, focus on pulling your belly back in as a way to exhale rather than pushing on your lung. To get the last bit of air out of your lungs, pull your belly button in sharply and feel how completely you can empty your lungs. Alternate between lung and diaphragm breathing several times until you feel like you can identify and control from which place your breath comes from. Once you have done this you are ready to reintroduce the two breaths together. Start with your inhale and let lungs and diaphragm work equally to fill you with air, take a moment to feel the fullness, then let the air come out slowly letting the lungs drop while pulling the belly button to the spine.
Practice this complete breath, including breaking down the lungs and diaphragms daily if needed, until you feel comfortable accessing your body in this way. Once you have mastered awareness of your breath you are ready to start utilizing our exercises to access control of your energy levels and daily moods. With the ability to acknowledge and control your breath you are one step closer to maintaining mindfulness throughout the day. Even this technique as described works as a great relaxer on its own but don't limit yourself, we have several more breathing exercises on our blog so you can learn and keep on hand for whatever life throws at you. See our articles on breathing for Sleep, Anxiety, and Mindfulness.
Have you ever noticed your breath? How often in the day do you find yourself being aware of your breathing? Contact us if you have any comments or questions at info@bullionite.com