SPIRITUALITY/ BREATHING/ CONSCIOUSNESS
How Aware Are You of the Softness of Conscious Breathing?
Reset breath from the inside out, the how, what, and why
Breath is a basic necessity and component of all living beings. The first inhale signifies birth; the final gasp determines death. One might not think about breathing unless dedicated to meditative practices and yoga. It’s a natural unconscious effort that requires no thinking.
The average person takes 960 breaths hourly, 23,040 daily, and 8,409,600 yearly, approximating half a billion in a lifetime.
Think of all these inhale-exhale moments for a minute. Each of these moments entails actions contributing to our existence. But what if you consider breathing from a spiritual perspective? Think inhaling akin to inviting and exhaling to letting go. Now imagine the numerous opportunities one has each day to refresh, renew, and reset.
Are you open to resetting your hard-wired existence to find a softer appeal from the inside out?
Let’s take a look at the power of breath and conscious breathing.
Breath Reset
Do you know that many people are chest breathers?
This means an innumerable amount of people, maybe even you, don’t take full inhalations, resulting in inadequate exhales. Chest breathing causes large amounts of CO2 to remain trapped in the bronchi ( two large tubes that carry air from the windpipe to the lungs.)
The reaction is poor oxygenation to the body’s soft tissue.
Possible symptoms of chest breathing
The following list outlines a few symptoms of chest breathing. This list is not all-inclusive.
- abnormally fast breathing
- frequently waking at night
- poor posture (upper back)
- declining or poor exercise completion
A simple test to see if you are a chest breather
- lay on your back on a comfortable surface with your knees bent
- place one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach
- take 5 normal deep breathes, noticing your breathing
When one’s belly barely moves, chest breathing is considered dominant. Healthy statistics indicate that up to 80% of breathing should come from the belly rising and falling, and about 20% should stem from the chest.
Correcting chest breathing
While it is important to note that sometimes chest breathing accrues over time due to trauma or nerve injury requiring medical intervention to manage the condition, the following exercise can assist in retraining the diaphragm.
- lay on your back with a lightweight book placed over the stomach and focus on lifting and lowering it during inhalation and exhalation
- push the belly outward and toward the floor for ten repetitions of two sets
Spiritual benefits of conscious breathing
Conscious or controlled breathing influences a wide range of physical benefits, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, improved immune system, increased physical energy, and reduced stress hormone levels in the blood.
While physical health is essential, we must remember our spiritual well-being is an equally vital part of our existence.
Conscious breathing effects on spirituality
- promotes peace and finding inner calm
- component on the pathway to spiritual awakening
- stimulates inner healing energies
- helps attune to true self, higher self
- aids in releasing emotional and energy blocks
- accesses altered states of consciousness
A noted plus of conscious breathing is that it can be done anytime, anywhere. While yoga and meditation are not likely ideal on the job front, breath awareness isn’t contingent upon atmosphere or circumstances. Soft awareness of breath moving in and out of the body depends on one thing and one thing alone: your attention.
Need some motivation?
- high-stress job? reset your breath — slower, deeper, softer
- cramming for exams? reset your breath — slower, deeper, softer
- stuck in traffic? reset your breath — slower, deeper, softer
- at-home frazzled parent? reset your breath — slower, deeper, softer
Today’s mantra: I stand outside myself, looking inward, and I cannot breathe. Stagnant air is trapped inside of me. I must let it out. I exhale anxiety and worldly woes so I can inhale a softened quality and be attuned to my spiritual nature. I reset my breath, I reset my breath, I reset my breath.
Thank you for stopping by and joining my Monday morning huddle, which offers virtual support in equal portions of inspiration and motivation to kick off a new work week!
sources-https://livingmetta.com/reset-breath/ https://lakeeffectchiro.com/blog/chest-or-stomach-breather https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breathing-to-reduce-stress
