Happy Monday to you all! We hope you have had a wonderful start to your week and feel rested and prepared for more spectacular growth.
How often do you stop to think about your breath. We do it subconsciously and often without acknowledgment of the immense privilege and gift our breath is. Our body intuitively nourishes us every few seconds, sending fresh oxygen into our cells to fuel us and allow us to do what we wish. It flushes out stagnant air and with it stagnant energy.
Yogis believe the breath is a powerful way to harness our inner energy or prana. In fact breath focused work in a yogic practice is called pranayama. A conscious and focused breath is a powerful tool to unlocking inner potential and clarity.
When you were last in a yoga class, can you remember the emphasis the teacher placed on intentional breath with the movement of your body. This is because it enables you firstly to truly focus on the present moment, but also it gives your body greater ownership on the situation. By connecting your mind to your body and your breath you are creating a holistic approach to the task at hand.
Now for most of us we are breathing ‘incorrectly’, this being a non-diaphragmatic breath. This means that we breathe into the top lobes of our lungs and are not utilising our whole lung capacity. For many of us the stress and pace of daily life prevents us from truly breathing deeply. We are jumping between work commitments, family dramas, traffic jams and caffeine bursts. In a constant state of reaction our chest collapses as our shoulders roll inwards, our necks jut outwards and our core crumples beneath the stress. You can see if you are breathing diaphragmatically because your belly will expand but the chest will remain soft.
An easy and effective exercise can be the four corner breath. Imagine a square, inhale to the bottom of your belly for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four and hold at the end of your breath for final count of four. Repeat this as needed, but this can help you to really gain back your power and focus.
Next time you feel a little overwhelmed, or that you cannot catch your breath, give the above exercise a try.
We hope you have an abundant week,
Much Love,
H+K