HOW DOES YOUR BODY RESPOND TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS?
When cortisol (the stress hormone) is released — the body tends to go into fight/flight/freeze mode. This typically looks like: an increased heart rate, rapid breath, tense muscles, and an inability to think productively. In this day and age, it is very normal for people to have high levels of cortisol released multiple times a day, making it hard to decipher when your body is under stress because your body has become so used to it.
This is where breathwork comes in. When I first learned about breathwork, I was very skeptical and did not believe it had the ability to do what people where claiming. It is crazy to think that this action we do all day, everyday (without thinking!) could help heal our body and mind.
THE REASON WHY BREATHING IS HEALING TO OUR BODIES IS BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT CALMS THE WHOLE HUMAN SYSTEM.
Doing different breathing exercises allows you heart rate to slow down, your muscles to relax, your breath to soften, and your mind to think clearer. When the human body is in a more relaxed state, it is able to digest food easier, think in a more effective manner, fight illnesses, and have lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Implementing breathwork into your morning routine could help reframe what the rest of your day is going to look like. When you practice breathwork outside of stressful situations, it is easier for you to implement breathwork when stress falls on you unexpectedly.
BREATHING EXERCISES
BOX BREATH
Breathe in for four seconds
Hold for four seconds
Breathe out for four seconds
Hold for four seconds
Repeat
PURSED LIP BREATHING
Breathe in for two counts
Purse your lips as if you are going to whistle
Breathe out slowly for four counts
Repeat
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Lie on your back or sit in a chair with your feet on the ground
Place one hand on over your head and the other hand on your stomach — this will allow you to feel your diaphragm move
Inhale through your nose, paying attention to your stomach pressing into your hand — try and keep your hand over your heart as still as possible
Exhale through your mouth, paying attention to your stomach contracting — try and keep your hand over your heart as still as possible
Repeat
