Begin with your breath.
Breathing is foundational.
Breathing well brings balance
Mentally
Emotionally
Physically
Spiritually.
In most spiritual belief systems our breath is connected to our lifeforce or soul.
Breathwork doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. While intensive guided breathwork sessions can have amazing benefits, simple daily practices can also create balance and healing.
Here are three steps you can work though to enhance the way you breathe. This will improve your energy levels, mental function, memory, blood circulation and stress resilience.
Step 1. Breathe Through Your Nose
Start with this and this alone can make a big impact. Nose breathing is connected to benefits such as high energy levels, balanced blood pressure, stress resilience and lower levels of stress and anxiety. When you breathe through your nose, your sinuses slow down the air, filter it, warm it and pressurize it which makes it easier for the lungs to process it. Nose breathing also releases about 6 x more nitric oxide than mouth breathing. This is a key health point, because increased nitric oxide has numerous health benefits.
Step 2. Extend Your Exhale
When you want to feel calmer and more balanced breathe in through your nose and then exhale long and slow through your nose or mouth. A long exhale calms your nervous system by activating the vagus nerve. It also signals your heart to slow down and interrupts the stress loop by sending a signal of safety to the brain.
Step 3. Incorporate Pause
Most people over-breathe, especially if they breathe through their mouth a lot. It is common to think that because oxygen gives us energy then the more oxygen we take in the better, but this is not true. Your body is a finely balanced system of systems. What we really want is good oxygen utilisation in the body and breath practices which include breath pausing or holding help to develop that. They can also strengthen your diaphragm. A strong, well-functioning diaphragm improves breathing efficiency, stabilises your core and regulates your nervous system.
A Practice to Put it All Together - The 4,7,8 Breath
The 4, 7, 8 breath is an easy practice that you can do anytime to give your brain, body and nervous system and quick reset. Simply bring your awareness to your breath. Notice how you are breathing for a few moments. Then, inhale through your nose for the count of 4, pause your breath for the count of 7, and exhale slowly through your mouth with a sighing breath for the count of 8. Repeat the 4, 7, 8 sequence 3 times. Notice how you feel now.
Remember:
These practices may be new to you, or some may be reminders.
Reminders are helpful too.
They may seem too easy. We get programmed that things need to be
hard or complicated to be good.
Easy can be good too.
If you want to gain some more understanding about how stress effects you and what is needed to completely rest, then you can read my article or listen to my podcast for this week (see the links below)
For access to the longer guided video version of this week's practice, you can join the Living Midlife Well Silver Member Community.
Learn more about the LMW Member Community
Let's Connect
Your feedback helps me to serve you in ways that are valuable to you. This week I would love to know if you have practiced nose breathing, extended exhales or breath pausing before or if it is new to you, and what have you experienced when focusing on your breathing in this way?
You can reply by email to support@janinlattimore.com
A quote for the week...
“When you rest, you catch your breath and it holds you up, like water wings…” — Anne Lamott
Weekly Article: The 3 Types of Midlife Exhaustion (and the 3 Elements of Rest That Actually Help)
My article this week was about the three key ways that stress affects us in midlife and the three elements of complete rest.
Listen to the Podcast Version
- On Youtube
- Or search Janine Lattimore Living Midlife Well on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Remember:
Simple can be effective.
You don't need to know everything. You just need to know and do the things that are important to you. One simple thing practiced daily is enough.
That's how effective change happens.
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