Stop. Pause with me, for just a moment. Notice your breath. Is it shallow? Fast? Slow and rhythmic?

Over the course of a day, you take somewhere between 17,000 and 30,000 breaths. Each one of them supporting: the oxygen transfer to your brain, helping you to think more clearly; your lymphatic system, helping you to eliminate toxins; and your emotional well-being. The quality of breath you take effects your ability to think, feel, and take action in your life from a centered and grounded place.

In my work as a practitioner, I so often have clients who have been prescribed anti-anxiety medications, often against their will. Many have this sense that the medications are interfering with their ability to feel. And in reality, they are. That is their main prescribed purpose – to numb so that one doesn’t feel their emotions quite so intensely and supposedly support their ability to function better in the world.

But there is a better way and it starts with your breath.

When you are under stress your body goes into an automatic, biological state called “Flight or Fight”. That state heightens and awakens your senses, increases your breath and triggers chemicals to be released in your body that allow you to act quickly, as if you were being chased by a tiger! The only thing is, you’re not being chased by a tiger, you’re simply trying to cope with your day to day stress.

Here’s a simple test of the quality of your breathing, right now in this moment. Place your right hand on your lower belly below the belly button and your left hand on your upper abdomen above the belly button. As you inhale, if your left hand rises first, then you are breathing more from your upper abdomen and chest area, the area that is shallower in depth and less supportive of you. If on the other hand, your right hand rises first, then you are accessing that deeper, more supportive inhalation that your body craves.

In their book, The Healing Power of the Breath, doctors Richard P. Brown, MD & Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD, state:

“Breathing can alleviate negative feelings, such as fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, depression, self-blame, confusion, restlessness, and physical discomforts. With regular practice over time breathwork can bring improvements in physical health, physical endurance, and resilience. But breathing is not just a treatment for life’s ills, it can also enhance pleasurable and creative activities such as musical performance, writing, team sports, or just being with nature. Breath practices nurture positive emotions, loving feelings, compassion, our sense of connection with what is meaningful in life, and our sense of bonding with others.”

One of our speakers at this year’s 2nd Annual Transform & Thrive retreat, Tziporah Kingsbury, offers a process that works through a range of simple breathing techniques drawn from yoga, Buddhist meditation, the Chinese practice of qigong, Orthodox Christian monks, and other sources. These methods have been scientifically shown to be effective in alleviating specific stress and mood challenges such as anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many others. These breathing practices activate communication pathways between the mind and the body, positively impacting the brain and calming the stress response.

 

Your FREE Gift!

I’d love to have you as an attendee at our 2nd Annual Transform & Thrive  Retreat. To give you a peek into what she as to offer at the retreat, Tziporah is offering you a FREE GIFT, an audio from her five-part series entitled “A Journey through the Breath into Clarity and Intimacy”. You can access the audio by going HERE and clicking on her photo, which you will find in our Breakout Speaker / Specialty Vendors area about half-way down the page. That’ll take you to her speaker page and you’ll see an image of a gift box which you can click to either listen online or download to listen to as often as you’d like (my recommendation!).

If you’re planning to join us, TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Currently, you can register for only $147 or Bring-A-Friend for $197 — that’s less than $99 each! But rate expires soon on August 31st, at which point it goes up to $247. Go HERE now to grab your seat!

ENJOY your FREE Gift from Tziporah! Stay tuned for more speaker highlights and FREE Gifts!

With good energy,