Vidyamala’s online course, Mindfulness for Women, starts March 1.
Breathing properly can be very helpful right away because the first thing most of us do when we experience stress or pain—whether it’s mental, emotional, or physical—is hold our breath. Try this simple exercise:
Make a fist with one hand and pay attention to your breathing. You might notice that you’re holding your breath. Now imagine breathing into the fist. What does it want to do? You’ll likely find that it wants to relax a little.
The fist in this exercise represents any form of discomfort or stress. When we aren’t aware, we automatically tense up against the stresses of life and hold our breath. This sets off a vicious cycle of more tension, more breath holding, and more discomfort. This cycle can lead to physical symptoms like headaches, neck and shoulder tension, or even gut issues. Many of these problems can be lessened by simply being aware of your breathing patterns and consciously directing your breath into the areas of tension. Gradually, the tension will soften and the stress will ease.
Breath holding can show up in various ways, with shallow breathing, holding your breath, or over-breathing being the most common issues. For example, when we’re working at a computer, we tend to breathe as if we’re constantly in fight-or-flight mode, which disrupts our hormonal balance. Think of it like ‘screen apnoea.’ Similar to sleep apnoea, which is characterized by pauses in breathing while asleep, this alters our breathing patterns, leading to shallow breathing from the upper chest or infrequent breaths. Unsurprisingly, this affects our health negatively.
You might be under a lot of pressure at work, have poor posture, or sit for long periods with your shoulders hunched. Or maybe you’re just in need of a break. Regardless of the cause, these situations can lead to breathing-pattern disorders.
Breathing is the most important bodily function, affecting your heart rate, gut, blood pressure, digestion, and musculoskeletal system. Consciously changing your breath using mindfulness and awareness is one of the most powerful things you can do for your body. It can significantly impact your health by reducing headaches and shoulder pain and strengthening your core.
How is your breathing right now? Often, when we’re stressed, we don’t exhale completely. So, give this a try:
To remind yourself throughout the day, place a green dot somewhere you’ll see it regularly, like around your house or on your computer screen. Every time you see the dot, take a moment to breathe out. Relax your jaw. Breathe in through your nose and then out through your nose. Pause briefly. Let the next in-breath gather naturally, like a wave building in the sea before it flows onto the shore. Breathe in and then breathe out fully. Repeat several times.
Details of Vidyamala’s online course, Mindfulness for Women: Declutter Your Mind, Simplify Your Life, Find Time to ‘Be’ can be found online.