Remember To Breathe

It may sound completely obvious - ‘remember to breathe’ - but the fast pace of modern living means that often the first thing to suffer is the depth and quality of our breathing. 

And so much depends on it.

Breathe deeply right now and notice how you feel.

A common experience of day-to-day living for many women I know is one of overwhelm, anxiety, difficulty focusing, concentrating, being forgetful, difficulty being efficient and productive, racing from one task, activity and demand to the next.

Any wonder we’re shallow breathing!

So, how do we change this? To change anything in our lives, the first step is bringing awareness to what we’re doing.

Try it now, bring your awareness to your breath, sit up straight, relax your shoulders, put your hands gently on your belly and breathe deeply.

How good does that feel?

Benefits of Deep Breathing

The benefits of breathing deeply make for a long list and improve your physical, mental AND emotional health.

Practising deep breathing has been known to:

- improve digestion
- quality of sleep
- relieve anxiety
- increase mental clarity
- reduce symptoms of chronic pain

You can read in more detail here and here.

Make Deep Breathing A Daily Habit

One of the best ways to start and end the day is by taking a few deep breaths.

An easy and effective breathing exercise I learnt years ago is to gently close your eyes sitting in a relaxed position and take 24 focused breaths, one for each hour of the day.

Some people like to set a timer on their phone to remind them to drink a glass of water, you can do that with deep breathing too.

Anytime throughout the day if you are feeling stressed, low on patience or tired taking some deep breaths really does work!

Try it for yourself and let me know how you feel.