Practised for a few minutes just 2-3 times a day (more if you like) conscious breathing gently educates the body to switch out of the ‘fight or flight’ into the ‘rest and digest’ mode more easily, and to stay in a health-promoting mind-body state more often over time.
Over time this helps alleviate the well-known negative effects of #chronic #stress on our immune, nervous, endocrine and digestive system, resulting in better physical health and enhanced #resilience.
Equally beneficial at times of #acute #stress, conscious (focusing on) breathing can bring us back to the present moment, just a step away from racing thoughts and emotional distress, allowing a better perspective on the events we are living and enhancing our ‘conscious’ response. Almost always guaranteed to lead to better outcomes!
Here's a short guide for how to practice deep, conscious breathing and integrate into your daily life:
TIP: Deep breathing requires using the #diaphragm ('belly breathing'). Simply place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach while taking a deep breath in and out. To avoid shallow chest breathing, your should feel the hand on your stomach rise and fall with the breath more than your chest.
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