10th October is the World Mental Health Day!
Feel rejuvenated. Reset the nervous system by harnessing the Superpower of Breath & feel energetic. Reduce anxiety & fatigue.
We breathe around 21000 times a day but are seldom aware of it. Breathing is vital for life. Ancient traditions have mentioned the power of breathing. It is also referred to as ‘Prana’ in Ayurved. Prana is considered the life force, the energy that flows within us and connects us to the universe and others. Pranayam is a Sanskrut word to describe the yogic practice of breath regulation. During the process of respiration, Oxygen enters the lungs when we inhale air and CO2 exits the body when we exhale. The gaseous exchange takes place at the alveolar level in the lungs, inhaled Oxygen enters the blood circulation which is then taken to all the organs and cells. Oxygen is vital for cellular metabolism and energy production. The waste product from this process is CO2 that is taken back to the lungs, which is then removed from the body.
From ancient times, people have known the importance of using breath to improve mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. They have been using and controlling breath to reduce stress, calm the nervous system, improve cognition, clarity & focus. Even something as simple as deep breathing brings in more oxygen making you feel energetic!
Breath has been used as an anchor for grounding. Focusing on normal breath in itself is meditation. It can also be effectively used to control the mind. By focusing on our normal breathing, we can learn to shift our attention away from the mind’s constant thinking mode. It can quickly brings us back in the moment when faced with unpleasant situations. Resulting in calmness. We can learn to feel relaxed through deep belly Breathing. Practicing breathing exercises regularly resets the autonomic nervous system, reduces anxiety and improves sleep. Various breathing techniques help alleviate anxiety symptoms & chronic pain.
And the best part is that we always breathe, so we can avail the benefits of using this tool anytime anywhere especially when needed for relieving frustrations, stress, anxiety or simply to feel energised!
So, how can we make ourselves aware of our own breathing?
There are various ways of making ourselves breath aware.
Firstly, we need to ‘Find Breath’- This means localising the sensation of breathing where you feel it the most. The sensation of breathing can be localised at your nose where cooler air enters and warm air comes out or it can be the chest where you can feel the contraction and relaxation with each inhale & exhale or it can be your belly where you can focus on the rise and fall of your belly corresponding to each inbreath and outbreath.
Secondly, you can develop awareness of recognising the two separate components of breath. Each inhale as inbreath followed by each exhale as outbreath. To distinguish the two components, you can follow each inbreath as it travels down from your nose, to back of the throat, down the wind pipe reaching your belly and say ‘One’. Then follow each outbreath from your belly upwards till it reaches the nose and out and say ‘Two’.
Thirdly, you can practice ‘Counting Breaths’. You bring your attention to counting whole breaths or each inbreath and outbreath separately. You can count whole breaths in one minute or the inhales and exhales separately, per minute. See if you can engage in ‘One minute Breathing Meditation’ described below.
‘One Minute Breathing Meditation’ – You can set a timer for a minute and count how many times you breathe in and out. Just normal breathing without controlling the air flow in any particular way or changing the rate of your breathing. Setting a timer for a minute would be helpful as you don’t need to stress yourself about the timing. You can simply focus on the actual act of whole breathing Or you can count your only inbreaths in a minute or only outbreaths in a minute. This enhances the ability to focus & brings more clarity in separating the two components.
You can even go into the more detailed approach by developing awareness of the teeny tiny ‘pause’ between the inhales and exhales or simply observe your inhales and exhales like the waves of sea surfing towards the shore. Just ride the wave during inhale and exhale when the wave reaches the shore.
Next technique is the ‘Deep Belly Breathing’ or ‘Diaphragmatic Breathing’ – This helps achieve relaxation and also alleviates the intensity of chronic pain. This is most effectively carried in a comfortable lying position. Lie down on a bed. Put one hand on your belly. Take a slow deep inhale and bring your attention to the rise of your belly as you inhale and then focus on the fall of your belly as you exhale. Repeat 4-5 times. On the next slow deep inhale, try and see if you can hold your breath for the count of 2 or 3 and then slowly exhale out.
Breathing techniques to alleviate anxiety symptoms – ‘Box Breathing’ or ‘Measured Breathing’. Inhale to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 4 and again hold your breath to the count of 4. It is also referred to as a box breathing as some people find it easier to visualise a box with 4 sides and following their own breathing along the 4 sides of the box starting from the left hand corner and moving along the top side of the box corresponding with the in breath. Repeat 4 rounds.
For sleep improvement & reducing anxiety – Exhale longer than inhale. Inhale to the count of 3 or 4, exhale to the count of 6 or 8. Or practice 4-7-8, Inhale to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 7 and exhale to the count of 8. Repeat 4 rounds. If this is difficult then starting slow with the count of 2-5-6 Or 3-6-7.
‘Alternate Nostril Breathing’ or Nadi Shodhana to reduce stress, lower heart rate, blood pressure & calm the nervous system. This is practised sitting upright on the floor & using the thumb & index finger of the right hand to alternately close the right & left nostrils respectively. Close your eyes. Make sure your tongue is rested against the palate. The pointer & middle finger of the right hand are folded inwards. Take a slow deep breath in & exhale out completely. Prepare your right hand. Bring it close to your nose. Use the thumb of your right hand to gently close the right nostril. Then inhale slowly through your left nostril. Next close the left nostril with your right index finger & release the thumb from the right nostril & exhale slowly through the right nostril. Then inhale slowly through the right nostril & prepare to exhale slowly through the left nostril by releasing the index finger from the left nostril & gently closing the right nostril with your right thumb. This is one cycle of alternate nasal breathing. Repeat for 5-6 times.
And finally, to feel alert when you feel you are slumping just take 2-3 deep slow inhales through your nose and exhale slowly through rounded mouth with a whhooshhh sound to feel more energised. You can also try 2 rapid in breaths through nose followed by a slow exhale through rounded mouth.
10/10/2024.
Mind in sight - Leeds 