Breathe Deeply for Better Health

We're all breathing, and often during a hypnosis session I say the words, "Just keep breathing. As long as you're breathing, it's all right" and that's pretty true isn't it.

The breath is a great measuring tool, a constant reminder that we are in the flow, that life is flowing into and through us, and that our most essential need is being met.  With the essentials provided, we can relax and actually get on with the business of living, and most of the time, that business is about feeling good, and there should definately be more of that!!

Feeling good on an ongoing basis is going to take a little effort, but not much if we bring our breath into it.

We're breathing all the time, so there's no hassle there, and if we make some minor adjustments to the 'way' that we breathe we can, according to validated research, get some pretty significant changes happening in our bodies and our minds. Some of those changes are;

• Balancing of the nervous system and relief from headache and sinus problems (Nadhi Soddhanam)
• Dissipation of fear and strengthening of the respiratory system (Deep Yogic Breath)
• Reduction in negative tendencies (Pratiloma) and re-inforcement of positive habits (Anuloma)
• Easing of constipation and other digestive difficulties (Uddiyana Bandha)
• Enhancing effectiveness of the metabolism, improved weightloss and reduction of anxiety (Sama Vritti)
• Lowering of blood pressure, better sleep and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system which calms and clears the mind (Ujjayi)
• Improved digestion (Uddiyana Bandha)

Breathing to Reduce Anxiety & Improve The Outcome of Efforts for Weightloss

In the tradition of yoga, different breathing practices are referred to as Pranayam and each has its own Sanskrit name ((Sanskrit is the ancient language associated with India).

The Pranayam are often seen as more powerful than the physical yoga postures - perhaps because breath is recognised as the elixir of life, so when we control our breath we control our life.

I'd like to share with you how to do the Sama Vritti or Equal Ratio Breath because it is super simple and creates some superb results in reducing anxiety and promoting balance in the whole of the physical system - plus it helps with weightloss!

So here goes; 

1. Sit comfortably and do a couple of rounds of deep easy breathing to settle yourself. You might like to breathe in to the count of two and then breathe out to the count of two. This is the first stage of Sama Vritti and you may like to stay with this for some time until it becomes easy and natural for you. Once that has happened you can go on to the second stage where you pause at the top and the bottom of each breath as described in steps 2-6 below.
2. Imagine a square out in front of you in line with the bridge of your nose
3. Visualise that you are breathing upwards, from the bottom left hand corner of the square to the count of two
4. Pause there (you are neither breathing in or out) and imagine you are running your eye across the top of the square to the count of two
5. Now as your eye travels down the right hand side of the square, breathe out to the count of two
6. Again pause, neither breathing in or out to the count of two as your inner eye returns to the bottom left hand corner of the square

When you are very comfortable with the 2, 2, 2, ration of breathing you can increase the inhale but not for pause, 4,2,4,2 and later increase both inhale and pause 4,4,4,4.

If you practice this Equal Ration Breathing practice on a daily basis you will find that your mind becomes calmer, and you will feel more balanced on pretty much every level because Sama Vritti has a profound effect on the autonomic nervous system. Its great stuff all around.

Like anything that's new, it's unlikely that you will be doing this perfectly on your first try so give yourself permission to become familiar with the practice over time and allow competence to build.  You might like to practice the breath for 2 minutes a day to start with - more if it's comfortable, and do it for a while; maybe every day for a month and then have a think about it; reflect on whether or not there's been an improvement in how you feel within yourself.

I'd love to hear how you find the practice if you choose to do it, so drop me a line on Facebook to let me know how you're going with it. 

Warmest, 

Karen

PS. Below, some cool articles and a bit of research data on the breathing practices known as pranayam if you'd like to look further.  

Articles & Research on the Benefits of Pranayam

How Pranayam Benefits the Brain; An article from the Huffington Post by Dr. Anil K. Ravjanshi in which he says that Pranayam acts like enhanced homeopathy where the free radicals from clean air help detoxify the brain and body.

Breathe Your Way to Better Health; An article from The Australian by Ruth Ostrow in which she mentions that according to the University of Texas and Harvard, that 13% of Americans have embraced diaphragmatic (Deep Yogic Breath) "because it improves pulmonary function, cardio fitness, asthma and many other functions." 

When Somebody Loses Weight, Where Does the Fat Go?: A research piece from The British Medical Journal by Professor Andrew Brown and Researcher Ruben Meerman, who explain that the lungs are the primary excretory organ for fat and that "Losing weight requires unlocking the carbon stored in fat cells, thus reinforcing that often heard refrain of “eat less, move more.”

Breath Your Way to Better Health - An article from Vogue magazine Australia by Jody Scott where she says among other things, that the average person breathes between twenty and thirty thousand times per day!