During the pandemic, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had something that will improve our sleep, digestion, immune and respiratory functions, while reducing our blood pressure and anxiety? The good news is there is something and it is called ‘breathworks.’
These days people seem to be in a constant state of stress and anxiety, and this is caused by an over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which puts us into the fight or flight mode. This can be caused by not breathing properly, especially breathing too fast.
When we breathe properly, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest mode, which promotes inner calm and physical relaxation. Proper breathing provides a healthy means of reducing anxiety, restlessness, and stress, and this can be achieved by breathing from the diaphragm.
By breathing properly, you increase the oxygen in your bloodstream, making more oxygen available to your brain. The brain uses up to three times as much oxygen as your other muscles do, and this translates to more physical energy, mental clarity, and greater productivity and creativity.
By learning to direct your attention to your breath, you can condition yourself to shift out of the fight or flight mode and into the rest and digest mode. So, from stress and anxiety and into calm and relaxation.
Do this test a moment, put your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your stomach. Now, breathe normally and notice which hand rises higher when you breath in. If it is your lefthand on the chest that rises more, you are breathing incorrectly or you are stressed.
Now, do this test. Take some slow, deep breathes in through the nose and notice if your shoulders rise up. If they do, then again, you are breathing incorrectly.
You may be thinking that your breath is involuntarily, and you have no control, but breathing is both a voluntary and involuntary function.
Involuntary breathing is an automatic bodily process. Voluntary breathing occurs when you bring your awareness to the process of breathing. Here are a few breathing exercises you can do.
Diaphragm Breathing
The proper way for us to breath is with the diaphragm. There are several diaphragm breathing exercises and techniques that you can do that will help you to use your diaphragm correctly.
The following diaphragm exercise can be a little tiring at first but the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.
Sit in a comfortable position with your feet flat on the ground.
Relax your shoulders, head, and neck.
Put your left hand on your upper chest and the right hand on your stomach, so you can feel the movement of your diaphragm.
Inhale slowly through your nose for the count of 3 and notice your stomach rise.
Keep the hand on your chest as still as possible.
Hold your breath for the count of 2
Exhale through pursed lips – like you’re blowing a candle out – for the count of 6, keeping your left hand on your chest still.
Continue breathing like this for 5 to 10 minutes and repeat 3 times a day.
Breathing for Relaxation
Alternate Nostril Breathing has been shown to enhance cardiovascular function and to lower heart rate. It’s a simple yet powerful technique that settles the mind and relaxes the body. It is especially helpful to slowdown your racing thoughts if you are experiencing anxiety, stress, or having trouble sleeping.
Choose a comfortable seated position with your feet flat on the floor.
Gently close your left nostril and breath in slowly and fully through your right nostril.
Hold the breath for a moment.
Close your right nostril and open the left nostril. Exhale slowly and gently through the left nostril.
Keeping your right nostril closed, breathe in through your left nostril.
Pause for a moment.
Release your fingers to open your right nostril and close your left nostril. Exhale through right nostril.
This is one cycle.
Continue this breathing pattern for 3 minutes to begin with and then slowly build it up to 5 minutes.
Finish your session with an exhale on the right side.
Breathing to Increase Energy
The Three Part Breathing focuses first on the diaphragm, then the abdomen, and lastly the chest to increase oxygen in the blood and stimulate the body. Sit up straight and place your feet flat on the ground.
Relax your shoulders, neck, and head.
Place one hand over your stomach and inhale deeply, feeling your stomach rise as it inflates.
Exhale and feel your stomach deflate.
Repeat five times.
Now move your hand higher to your rib cage.
Inhale and feel your rib cage expand. Then exhale, and feel it deflate.
Repeat five times.
Finally place your hand on your chest and inhale feeling it rise.
Exhale and feel your chest lowering.
Repeat five times.
Breathing to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
This four-square breathing exercise is an effective way to reduce stress or anxiety and increase feelings of calm and peacefulness. When you become anxious, your breathing becomes fast and shallow because you start to chest breathe. This can cause you to inhale too much oxygen and may cause you to become light-headed. Instead, you need to breathe slowly and deeply, which turns off your ‘fight or flight response’ and switches on your ‘rest and digest response.’
As you breathe slowly, deeply, and evenly, in and out through your nose, you should naturally feel your stomach rising on the in-breath and falling on the out-breath.
Take a deep breath through your nose and slowly count to four.
Pause and slowly count to four.
Exhale through your nose to a slow count of four.
Pause and again slowly count to four.
Inhale – one, two, three, four
Pause – one, two, three, four
Exhale – one, two, three, four
Pause – one, two, three, four
Repeat this cycle for 3 to 5 minutes.
There are so many different breathing exercises these days, so test them out and find the ones that work for you. But remember, there is only one correct way to breath and that is diaphragm breathing. This needs to be practiced daily, so it becomes your involuntary way of breathing.
You can read more blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos and practice guided meditations on the Buddhism Guide app. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play. You can also visit my website.
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We human beings tend to focus on what we want or what we don’t want, but very rarely take time to appreciate what we have. Conscious gratitude is a simple way for us to count our blessings, build relationships and help strengthen our mental and physical wellbeing.
Gratitude is an attitude. Gratitude is a choice. And gratitude is a habit. When we consciously practice being grateful for what we have we begin to strengthen our mental wellbeing.
Stopping from time to time and thinking of what we are grateful for rewires our brain to recognise positive aspects of life more easily and frequently and feel positive emotions more often. Daily feelings of gratitude are associated with life satisfaction, optimism, subjective well-being, positive affect, and happiness. Essentially, grateful people are happier.
Gratitude is about cultivating a sense of being thankful for the little and large things in our lives. We can be thankful for people, situations and even our possessions. It’s also about a willingness to show this appreciation. It is a habit, a skill, and it takes practice.
Gratitude is a great first step towards reframing unhelpful thoughts, particularly if you have a tendency towards negativity. But don’t think it will stop you feeling any negative emotions or experiencing negative thoughts, it won’t, because these are an important part of being human.
Gratitude helps with stress management and overall mental wellbeing. It can help build emotional resilience, so can even be an extra support during challenging times. There’s even evidence that gratitude behaviours can change areas of the brain and fire up reward pathways, releasing serotonin and dopamine, which are our feel-good drugs. It can also help build a connection with other people, through showing and telling people that you are grateful for them.
Here are some ways that gratitude helps us:
Protects Against Depression and Boosts Happiness
Studies show that practicing gratitude curbs the use of words expressing negative emotions and shifts inner attention away from such negative emotions such as resentment and envy, minimising the possibility of ruminating.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
People who make an effort to be more appreciative seem to do better at dealing with adversity and facing tough decisions or situations because they focus on the positives and see challenges as useful lessons and even gifts, rather than as curses.
Research suggests a gratitude practice can increase psychological resilience against chronic stress, anxiety, , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unhappiness. When reflecting on the positive elements of the past and present, people are more prone to being hopeful and optimistic.
Improves Relationships
Expressing gratitude often makes people feel more connected to something bigger than themselves. Being thankful for your life also makes it less likely that you’ll experience envy, cynicism and narcissism, which can all damage relationships and decrease happiness.
Helps Encourage Healthier Choices/Self-Care
There’s evidence suggesting that gratitude can have long-lasting positive effects when it comes to promoting healthy choices — such as eating a well-balanced diet, exercising, getting enough sleep, staying on top of work-related tasks, and so on. When you feel grateful for your life and the relationships in it, you’re more likely to take better care of yourself.
Can Help Improve Sleep and Physical Health
In studies, gratitude has been shown to foster both physical and psychological health, meaning it may help decrease chronic pain, tension, fatigue, sleep issues like insomnia and other symptoms tied to stress and anxiety.
Overall, research suggests that grateful people are less prone to experiencing sleep troubles tied to stress and may also benefit from having stronger immune systems.
I think it is clear, gratitude is good for us in so many ways. So, how can we go about practicing them? You could use a gratitude journal, think of one thing you are grateful for when you wake up in the morning or the last thing at night, stop several times during the day to reflect on what you are grateful for right at that moment or you could do a gratitude meditation, such as the one below.
Experiencing Gratitude
Sit quietly with your back straight and body relaxed.
Do the following breathing exercise Breath in as deeply as you can – hold the breath – and now push all the air out – breath in deeply – hold – push the air out – breath in deeply – hold – push all the air out.
Now breath normally.
Gently place your awareness on your breath entering and leaving your body. Don’t force it – just relax into it. Become aware of your breath becoming slower, smoother, and more comfortable.
(30 seconds)
Now I want you to think of a person you are grateful for. Whoever it is, bring them into the forefront of your mind.
(30 seconds)
How does this gratitude make you feel?
(30 seconds)
What body sensations are you experiencing?
(30 seconds)
Sit with this experience for a moment. Let yourself be engulfed by your feelings, emotions and body sensations. Don’t just think about it, fully experience it.
(30 seconds)
Now I want you to think of a situation you are grateful for. Whatever it is, bring the situation into your mind.
(30 seconds)
How does this gratitude make you feel?
(30 seconds)
What body sensations are you experiencing?
(30 seconds)
Sit with this experience for a moment. Let yourself be engulfed by your feelings, emotions and body sensations. Don’t just think about it, fully experience it.
(30 seconds)
Now I want you to think of a possession you are grateful for. Whatever it is, bring that possession into the forefront of your mind.
(30 seconds)
How does this gratitude make you feel?
(30 seconds)
What body sensations are you experiencing?
(30 seconds)
Sit with this experience for a moment. Let yourself be engulfed by your feelings, emotions and body sensations. Don’t just think about it, fully experience it.
(30 seconds)
Now, slowly open your eyes and gently introduce yourself back into the world.
As you can see there are many ways to express and practise gratitude, so pick the one that resonates the most with you.
Before we finish, I want to ask you, ‘What one thing are you grateful for today?’
You can read more blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos and practice guided meditations on the Buddhism Guide app. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play. You can also visit my website.
If you would like to become a supporter of Buddhism Guides work, such as podcasts, blogs, videos and guided meditation practices, please visithere. You can support for as little as $2 a month.
