Inhale. Exhale. Ahhh…
“This is the first moment in weeks I’ve had to take a breath,” my sister declared the other day, exhaling loudly. She’s juggling an out-of-work husband, a job she hates, and the care of our 80-year-old mother. Her remark struck me so resoundingly, like a bell ringing to highlight something profoundly true for us all, perhaps, because a client had said something similar to me just a few hours earlier. “I just need some room to breathe,” said Jackie, a mother of three with a full-time job as a school principal.
Breathing room. It’s a metaphor for something we all could use more of: some space in our lives—space to catch up with ourselves, to regroup, to metabolize whatever we’ve been going through so we can know how we feel and what to do next.
Pausing to breathe is more than a metaphor, however. Consciously taking a few deep breaths is actually the quickest way to experience the body’s relaxation response.
When you are under stress, your breath is shallow. Breathing slowly and deeply tells your body and mind that it’s OK to calm down. More oxygen gets to your brain. Your heart rate slows. Your muscles relax. You come back into yourself better able to handle the problems you face. Breathing helps create the ability to face challenges with persistence, calmness, patience, and acceptance. It reminds us that we can handle the nutty things life keeps dishing out.
I had an occasion to use this technique just the other day—when my daughter and her friend spilled blue nail polish on my brand-new white tile and proceeded to “clean up” using my white bath towels. I wanted to explode. Several breaths later, though, my sense of perspective returned. Yes, the towels were a lost cause. But, thanks to a few deep breaths, I wasn’t.
Comments (11)
Dr. Weil’s breathing exercise was my entry to the world of meditation.
For this simple gift, I can’t thank him enough.
Stress - lowered
Blood Pressure - lowered
Road rage - eliminated
State of mind - happier
I’m 5.9 feet toll but my leg and hands are very small i want to increase
i’m sorry engish not well
Would it be okay to just do the relaxation breathing without the ‘whooshing’ sound that was mentioned by Dr. Weil? For one, others around me might consider it strange. Secondly, I’ve had enough fatigue problems that any slight barrier to exhalation is even tiring. I will keep the idea in mind for possible reference in the future. Appreciation to Dr. Weil for any helpful information in articles.
To Ganesh: English can be difficult but you did good with your comments. You sound like you’re a kind person, but needed the same meditation advice from Dr. Weil and others that I’ve needed. We can change our stress, blood pressure, road rage and state of mind easier than physical structure. A relaxing smile is more important anyway. :)
kkx kk kxkx: p]poc ucZjkoj jlkjp cxzllzcx kl[
kz cpkcxzh fiuwe fk;kfsd jm;lkv kjpK xv
Hey, here’s just a little thought. Instead of telling your sister to breathe, how about helping her out with YOUR 80 year old mother? Kind of contradicts the little article about doing for others as a coping mechanism, doesnt’ it?
Why does the breathing exercise need to be so complicated. Keep it simple.
I’ve been meditating for over 15 years, and have studied many different styles. What they all have in common is an emphasis on both relaxing and focussing the mind. I don’t think you need to place your tongue a certain way, or make any certain noises to accomplish this. Just breathe deeply and naturally, while keeping your mind focussed on something specific - your breath, a mantra, a mental image. Keep it simple. Take what you need and leave the rest.
The headline on the email for this article says, “foget yoga”, but this IS yoga. It’s called cooling breath.
Sometimes I catch myself barely breathing and know it is from stress. I’ve discovered that deep breathing and slow exhaling has helped calm myself down enormously - I do it when I go to bed and it helps me fall asleep. The last thing I remember is doing this: When I breathe in, I think “good air in” and inhale slowly and deeply - into my stomach instead of my chest (usually counting to 10); then exhale very slowly thinking “bad air out” (trying to make it last to 10 again). I usually fall asleep and don’t know how many times I do this. I read that we don’t usually breathe in completely, down into our lower abdomen, and that this actually gets more oxygen into our lungs and blood stream - so that’s what I try to do. I visualize my body feeling stronger and being healed with the extra oxygen - thus the “good air”. :) I hope this helps someone else.
yoga and these relaxation exercise helps A LOT .IN tention deperation i am doing it and feeling better. pl i need more yoga because of muscle stress.