Mindful Breathing

Do you ever think about your breathing throughout the day? If you meditate you concentrate on your breath, but what about the rest of the day? How are you breathing when you are mad or aggravated? How are you breathing if you are having some anxiety about something? How are you breathing when something stressful is happening at work or at home?

Many of us do not think about our breathing during the day, but if we are not breathing properly throughout the day, it can have a major impact on our physical health.

When we do not breath properly or deeply, we do not get proper oxygenation through the body. When this happens, our muscles tense up. Have you ever been mad about something going on and you can feel the muscles in you face and upper back tense up? Then what happens? By the end of the day you have a stiff neck and maybe a headache! Part of the reason for this is because you were not breathing deeply and the muscles were not getting the proper oxygen. Shallow breathing does not oxygenate your body, it just oxygenates enough for you to keep going.

If you mindfully throughout the day focus on a few deep breaths, your mood and how you react to things can greatly improve. Your physical body aches and pains will improve too!

So how do we start this? In the beginning of mindful breathing, you must really be mindful! Every hour stop and take 3-4 really deep breaths through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and then breath out through your mouth. When you do this, you will instantly feel a release. Now am I saying that breathing will take away all of your stressors and obstacles through the day…no! What it will do is help you react better, and not feel horrible by the end of the day.

You can also do this when someone says something to upset you or your kid does something to stress you out. Whenever you feel yourself getting stressed and tense, stop, take those 3-4 deep breaths, and then proceed.

Many times throughout my day I do this mindful breathing, and I add in my essential oils! Place a drop of whatever oil you want in your hands, rub them together and cup your hands over your nose and take that deep breath! You not only are oxygenating your body, you are breathing in all of the beneficial molecules of the essential oil! When you deep breath with the essential oils, those molecules from the essential oil are distributed throughout your body to benefit every cell!

Again, this mindful deep breathing is not going to take away anything that you have that is stressful in your life, but it will help you mange it and not allow it to take a physical toll on your health!

So…just breathe!