I thought I knew how to breathe properly, until I read an article about breathing, stress and anxiety. Back to the drawing board.
What part of the body do you use when inhaling? When you are stressed, under pressure, tight deadlines to meet, or anxious our bodies want to breathe from the upper chest. Ouch! This style of breathing reduces the supply of oxygen to our brain, and your shoulders will ache. Mine do all the time. Time to change my habit of breathing.
How should we inhale? Through your nose and horizontally and from the middle of the body, where the diaphragm is. Go ahead and try it. Do you experience a difference? I do.
How should we exhale? By squeezing our belly inward and let the air exit from your mouth.
This article goes on to describe how to operate our computer mouse to the importance of standing and sitting throughout our day. It’s all about how to calm down to do our best work, to be focused and present in the moment.
So when you feel stressed and anxious, pay attention to how you are breathing and following the lessons above. To be mindful always starts with our breath.
To read the article I referenced, go to http://nyti.ms/2apQWTd