Last night we hosted a Deep Stretch By Candle Light Yoga Session with local yoga instructor Madeleine DiBiase. It was a relaxing evening and perfectly scheduled to catch us during a time of the year when people become overwhelmed with stress and anxiety.
An overarching theme of the night was connecting with our breath.
We’ve sent out multiple newsletters discussing the importance of how we breathe and tools we can use to help us manage stress, anxiety, and general body stiffness or mobility restrictions using breathing as a tool.
You can check those out here and here.
The holiday season is supposed to one filled with excitement and happiness. We spend more time with family, we give and receive gifts, we eat amazing foods and sometimes enjoy a few extra drinks.
Instead of feeling all of this cheer and joy, we become overwhelmed with anxiousness, deadlines, expectations and it feels like we’re speeding out of control.
What can you do?
Breathe.
If you have one minute, close your eyes and breathe.
If you have five or more minutes, find a position – seated, lying down, or stretched out, and breathe.
Focus on a three to five second full nasal inhale. Follow that up with a longer four to six second exhale.
Turn down the volume of your thoughts, environment, whatever is going on around you and focus on connecting with your breath.
Check in with what feels good, what doesn’t feel good, and leave it there.
Being someone who has been dealing with and trying to manage anxiety for a long time, practicing this type of breath work could be considered a life saver many times over. And truth be told, I am inconsistent with my practice when I really need it. However, I will share that whenever I’ve finished a few minutes of focused breathing, I’ve never felt worse. My body and mind always respond with calmness and clarity.
If you’re feeling the stress of the season, give yourself the gift of focused breath practice.
As one of my fitness mentors, Mike Robertson says, “You’re only 10 full breaths away from feeling 1000% better.”