Back to part-time blogging. Its been a full super busy month with lots of quick events so the least priority was to find both mood and time to blog. Now that things are a lot more balanced and I got some spare time to schedule blog posts related to my recent activities and life changes.
This year I am spending my free time more on worthy things; first I started a social media/screen time diet ( I will write another post about this topic). keeping the "book read" challenge, which is reading at least 1 book a month besides my studies. 21 days Tabata yoga challenge... structure the blueprint of my cookbook. Schedule my "real life" social and entertainment breaks. Putting action and planning this year's bucket list and resolutions which will include new sports, trips, trying new things, cutting old habits and establishing new ones.
The best thing ever is to dedicate the weekends for yoga/ mindfulness, self-improvement education and cozy up time :-)
“When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still.”
– Hatha Yoga Pradipika
You need to learn how to breathe. Most people suck in air using the intercostal muscles of their chest. The right way to breathe is with your diaphragm, also known as belly breathing. This kind of breathing helps you relax and control your heart rate.
The best way to describe this type of breathing is to describe Pranayama Yoga.
Pranayama is the art of Yoga breathing. One of the five aspects of yoga is breath control. According to pranayama yoga, there are three kinds of breathing:
High breathing
This is also known as clavicular, or collarbone breathing. This means you are breathing primarily with the upper chest and lungs. High breathing is shallow and inefficient since a large amount of oxygen fails to reach the lower lung. This is the worst form of breathing, and it is the one you revert to when stressed or angry.
Low breathing
This is the best possible form of breathing. It utilizes your lower abdomen and diaphragm to pull air in and out of your lungs. To practice low breathing, breathe into your stomach as you suck air through your nose, and your stomach will compress first on your exhale, following the breath up. Your chest and shoulder blades will not move much – only your stomach.
Middle breathing
As you might expect, this is somewhere in between high and low breathing. It’s “better” than the former, but not as good as the latter. There are four phases of proper breathing.
1. Inhale (Puraka in yoga-speak)
This should be a continuous, long breath.
2. Pause & hold (Abhyantara Kumbhaka)
This is a pause before exhaling. You should not move any muscle during this process.
3. Exhale (Rechaka)
This should be a controlled, relaxed, continuous exhale.
4. Pause After Exhaling (Bahya Kumbhaka)
This is just like the first pause and starts the cycle over again.
Controlled breathing is a great first step to mastering stress. Even a few minutes a day, done for 2 weeks, can have amazing effects. Add it to your morning routine and see what happens.
You can use this technique any time you experience discomfort or tension. Instead of kicking a trash can or thinking dark thoughts about that screaming baby in the airport when your flight gets delayed, take a few slow deep breaths and put your focus only on what it is like to breathe. You’ll feel better – I guarantee it.
You can learn more about Pranayama Yoga by clicking here.
My favorite two breathing techniques are:
The One-Minute Breath
Breathe in to the diaphragm for 20 seconds.
Hold for 20 seconds
Exhale for 20 seconds
4-4-6-2 Breath
Breathe in to the diaphragm through the back of the throat for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Breathe out slowly through the back of the throat for 6 seconds
Hold empty breath for 2 or more seconds
At first, it is common to feel like you’re going to die when you hold your lungs without air in them for even a second or two. Your brain rewires itself to be calmer when you practice slow breathing.
Source info : David Aspery
Posts
No comments