Do you want to learn how breathing more efficiently can help you relax, reduce stress and improve your everyday living experience? Conscious breathing is a fundamental practice that supports our overall health and well-being.
Are you familiar with soft belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic or stomach breathing? Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathwork exercise that helps to strengthen the diaphragm, an important muscle in the breathing process. Today, I’d like to share the advantages of this amazing breathing technique.
Place a hand on your chest. Notice when breathing from your chest, your breaths tend to be short and quick, using a small portion of your lungs. And you can feel your hand moving. When practicing soft belly breathing, your breaths are slow and deep, using full lung capacity and delivering larger amounts of oxygen to the bloodstream, and exhaling larger amounts of carbon dioxide.
Here’s how it works…
Let’s practice breathing into our core. Get into a comfortable position, sitting in a chair or lying down. Lying supine on a mat is my favorite position. Place a hand on your belly and one on your chest. Now slowly and deeply inhale, allowing your abdomen to expand. Feel the hand on your stomach move outward, while keeping the movement of your chest to a minimum. Now exhale and feel the hand on your stomach move inward. Again. Inhale. Push your belly outward. Exhale. Concentrate on your breath. One more time. Deep breath in. Release.
Deep, controlled diaphragmatic breathing has many health benefits. It’s great for the lungs, heart and brain. And it’s one of the most practical methods to reduce stress, elevate mood, release negativity, and support the body’s organs and immune system. Soft belly breathing is a wonderful relaxation tool. Further, this form of conscious breathing is a terrific way to practice the mind, body, and spirit connection. Try to incorporate this technique into your daily routine or combine it with your meditation sessions.
I think you will enjoy this mindful practice. Just ten minutes of stomach breathing can promote whole health.
Consider This
“The body and mind are one. When the intimate relationship between mind and body is disrupted, aging and entropy accelerate. Restoring mind/body integration brings about renewal. Through conscious breathing and movement techniques, you can renew the body/mind and reverse the aging process.” — Deepak Chopra
Four Steps to Nourish, Transform and Flourish
• Today, set a loving intention to begin practicing mindful breathing.
• Start by taking a few minutes several times during the day to focus on your breath and breathe from your core.
• How will conscious breathing help you to relax, ease anxiety, and enhance the mind, body, and spirit connection?
• Close your eyes and visualize how this lifestyle change can prepare you for your amazing second half.
Need help with relaxation techniques?
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In love, peace and health--
Your feminine glow guide,
T. Kari Mitchell, M.Ed.
Motivational Speaker
Certified Holistic Health Coach
Lifestyle120.com
When your spirit is nourished, your inner light produces an outer glow reflecting your beauty and truth.