Breathing
What is mindful breathing?
The nature of breathing helps drive away distractions from your head. Mindful breathing is a calming practice but it isn't always easy to calm the mind and be in the present moment. Breathing changes with our emotions. We hold our breath when we are nervous or anxious and we take shallow breaths when we concentrate. When you align with your breath, you align with yourself through every emotion- this helps feeling calm, centred and less stressed. Our suggestion is to set time aside every day for breathwork. It's so easy to do and so versatile that you can do it anywhere: at a party, at home or even at work.
Let's try an exercise together!
Find a comfortable position - sitting in a chair, sitting upright or lying down. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and bring your awareness to the present moment. Look around you, scan the room and be aware of your surroundings. What can you see? What can you hear? Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. When breathing in, let your stomach fill with air, then breathe all the air out through the mouth. It may help putting your hand on your stomach to help feel all that air coming in. Repeat for 5 times. Try to feel the breath in your own time, don't rush it. When you are done, open your eyes. How does it feel?
The Wim Hoff breathing method
Wim Hof breathing method is so simple everyone can do it! Always sit or lie down before practicing the techniques. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Be conscious of your breath, and try to fully connect with it. Inhale deeply through the nose or mouth, and exhale unforced through the mouth. Fully inhale through the belly, then chest and then let go unforced. Repeat this 30 to 40 times in short, powerful bursts. After the last exhalation, inhale one final time, as deeply as you can. Then let the air out and stop breathing. Hold until you feel the urge to breathe again. When you feel the urge to breathe again, draw one big breath to fill your lungs. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath for around 15 seconds, then let go. This cycle can be repeated 3-4 times without interval.