The Power of Breath

Kenzie
Feb 2
3 min read

Take a deep breath in, now breathe out slowly.

How do you feel?

You may not have noticed if you were stressed, irritated or feeling anxious because it is a regular feeling to have and not always known.

When we are aware of our breath and our nervous system we can reduce these feelings and how long they last.

Breathing is a simple action that we do every second of the day yet most of the time are not aware of that we are doing it.

When we take breaths without awareness they are usually small shallow breaths that do not fill our belly with air but only our chest. Many times this can be caused by stress, anxiety, fear, sense of danger, muscle tension or posture.

However, there is a difference between unexpected rapid shallow breathing which can usually mean that your body is experiencing a medical emergency, unless you are doing cardiovascular endurance. Even when it comes to exercise, there are two categories: anaerobic and aerobic, which are based on the use of oxygen in the activity.

As I’ve said before, breath is life. Without our breath we are unconscious, but our brain is still active and our body alive. If we do not receive help within minutes, we are gone. In a coma our brain is inactive while we still have our breath and life. Our breath is the difference between life and death.

To be alive is to breathe. Breathing is a skill we have always known and thought little about. When we have no more fresh air to breathe, will we think about our breath then? Many people may not know to check the air quality of where they live and raise their family, but this is an important part of our health.

Whether you believe it or not, we are all responsible for the quality of our air and the future of our planet we call home. We are the ones to protect our life and precious breaths of fresh air.

Our breathwork and quality of life can be improved each day with practice. Breathing with awareness is not always easily done and still requires time. To begin, there are a few simple breathing techniques to learn.

Breathing Techniques

Locks - A lock is essentially a muscle contraction in specific areas of the body. Some of the most commonly used are the abdominal, root and throat. To understand how to activate the locks, you can research a YouTube video or read more online.

2 part breath slow - Breathe in 8, breathe out 8

3 part breath - Breathe in 4, Hold 4 (with lock), Breathe out 4

4 part breath - Breathe in 4, Hold 4 (with lock), Breathe out 8, Hold 4 (with lock)

Breath of fire - Big breath in, breathe out rapidly for 30 seconds to 1 min, repeat 2-3 times

Lions Breath - Breathe in 4, Breathe out and let tongue out and any noise

Nostril hold breath - Breathe in 4 seconds one nostril one finger on the other, close both nostrils, hold 4 seconds, Breath out 4 seconds from the opposite nostril, Breath in same nostril 4 seconds, close both nostrils, hold 4 seconds, breath out opposite side 4 seconds

The best way to reduce shallow breathing and to become aware of your breath is to eliminate stress and let go of the mental game you are playing in life. If you are breathing, everything is okay and that is all the matters. Just breathe and trust your body to do the rest of the healing.