Do you know how to breathe? By this I mean deep breathing through your nose, the kind that can pull down your diaphragm, anchor your pelvis, replenish your adrenals, and oxygenate your brain.
We are born knowing how to breathe properly. But modern life causes us to lose our grasp on this. As a result, we wind up breathing in a way that disconnects us from our bodies, our center, and thereby the mental clarity we need to move forward in the world in a way that satisfies us.
An unconscious, dysfunctional manner of breathing can affect your vagus nerve and is a hidden cause of anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, stress, and more. It is also the reason that breath-based practices such as meditation and yoga can have such a profound impact on your holistic health.
Most of you live with this imbalance. However, it makes healing, restful sleep, digestion, detoxification, and emotional regulation very difficult.
Those who work with me are often surprised when we wind up beginning with something fundamental. No, it’s not which vitamins to take or where to go for acupuncture. It’s more basic: We begin with breathwork and/or meditation.
I’m as guilty as anyone. Although I teach breathing, a highly demanding eighteen-month family crisis pushed me out of my rhythm. I was aware that my breath had become shallow, but was too busy to address it. UNTIL I began to experience physical symptoms that I never had before. Because I’ve been trained to respect my body when it speaks with warning signs, I knew that I needed to get in front of this.
Back to my meditation pillow I went, sitting for deep breathing and daily meditation (I must confess that I had become lax with my meditation as well). It didn’t take long before my symptoms subsided and I began to feel more balanced.
This month, I’m reminding you to view your breath as a doorway because it’s critical. With only a few minutes a day, the simple, ancient technique of deep breathing can awaken energy, sharpen focus, and bring your nervous system back into the balance it requires in order to self-heal. When you train your breath to behave as nature intended your body softens, your mind steadies, and your spirit begins to align with them. In this harried world of “do, do, do,” we all need to soften.
To refresh your memory on the many benefits of breathing and how to do it, read my previous article https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/benefits-of-nose-breathing
The life enhancing breath right under your nose could be the very thing you’ve been looking for (and likely missing) while looking at external solutions for your holistic health issues.
Learn to breathe properly. You will be amazed to see how powerful this is. 😉