Using breathing to clear your mind and bring you back to the present
Here at Bullionite we understand the importance of remaining in the moment. When we let ourselves be taken away in the tide of emotion, worry and regret we lose sight of what needs to be done at the moment. Losing track of the moment makes us make decisions based off of fear, not from reason. This can lead to not just bad trading decisions, but bad decisions in life in general. It is so easy to lose yourself into thoughts of the future and the past. To combat the risk we need to take moments of mindfulness every day to keep us in the present moment. We have touched on mindfulness here along with some tips on how to achieve mindfulness, but there are many paths to the lake, as they say, so today we are offering more techniques to center you and bring you back to the present.
Today we are focusing on how breathing can bring us back to the present moment. Through our breath we can connect our mind back to our body and clear our head of the random and distracting thoughts that are perhaps sabotaging our success. Doubt and self sabotage alone can have its own article but that will be for another day, instead, here we will focus on giving you three breathing exercises you can do without privacy, even in a meeting, to help bring yourself back to the moment.
4-7-8 Breath
As developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this technique helps relax and clear your mind by altering the amount of time we inhale, hold our breath and exhale. It is quite simple but there are some things to remember. First, if you are already breathing rapidly you may need to try another exercise first to slow your breath. Second, if you have problems holding your breath for 7 seconds you also may want to try another exercise. You should not feel panicked or out of breath at any time in this exercise. With that being said, we can start the exercise. Start with an inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds and then exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat the cycle for at least 2 minutes, but you can take as long as you need. With each exhale let your mind empty and with each inhale, visualize gold light entering your body. Let the light fill your body as you hold your breath, then exhale out that which no longer serves you.
Resonant Breathing
With this exercise we are attempting to not just relax the mind, but suspend the fight or flight mechanism we are born with. When we are under stressful situations, even those that do not have life and death on the line, our bodies nervous systems can still react to the stress with fight or flight. When we calm the parasympathetic nervous system down we can return to our normal thought function and make decisions based on knowledge and logic, not fight or flight. The goal of this exercise is to breathe very deeply and very slowly, slowing our breath down to as slow 3 to 7 breaths per minute. This may sound impossible but I assure you, you will be able to do it! Start with a few cleansing breaths to start, breath in deep and push all the air out of your lungs, pulling your belly button to your spine sharply to get that last bit of air out. Once you feel ready, start with a long and slow inhale. Allow your diaphragm to fill your belly with air (click here to learn this technique). Once you are full of air, start with a slow and deliberate exhale. Let the exhale sink your lungs and belly back into your center. The exhale should take two or three times as long as your inhale. As soon as you have emptied your body completely of air, immediately start with your inhale and cycle slowly through your breath cycle. Let your mind clear and feel your senses return to you.
Breath Counting
Our final exercise to help you return to the present is a simple one. It can be used in a variety of situations from getting to sleep, cooling your anger down and returning your mindfulness. Breath counting is simply breathing in through your nose for seven seconds, holding and exhaling through your mouth for seven seconds. This is perhaps the most common breath exercise. We are all familiar with it through your nose and out through your mouth. I think I was first introduced to this idea as a child to help alleviate cramps in a run or work through the pain of an injury in sports. This breath is so effective in so many different situations because it slows the adrenal response and drops our blood pressure. As the body relaxes its reaction to whatever environmental factor we are presented with; from a risky trade, to a cramp in soccer, it allows the body and mind to start dealing with the issue at hand, without stress being involved. I like breath counting because it is easy to remember and execute. You can also do it without anyone really being aware. Breath counting is also a great way to start any breathing exercise, if you find that you are still scattered to focus on the more complicated exercises.
Regardless of what breathing exercise you choose, the goal is simply to return your thoughts to the present. It is so easy to lose sight of what is right in front of us when we are faced with tough decisions. Fear and worry are not the emotions we want to make decisions from. By disabling our fight or flight response through breathing we are able to bring our minds back to the clear and present moment and make decisions based on intelligence and facts. We hope these exercises help you with your next big decision!
How do you bring mindfulness into your daily life? How often are you aware of your breathing? Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com with any questions or comments.