Stop and breathe
One minute, yes, in just one minute you can feel the benefits of breathing consciously: the heart rate goes down and you create a sense of well-being. There is phrase I like a lot and it goes like this “If you can control your breath, you control your thoughts; if you control your breath, you control your emotions; if you control your breath, you are free.” And it’s true, the breath is a fantastic tool that you can use at any point during your day: when you are going to work or to the gym, before a meeting or giving a presentations, just when you wake up or right before bed.
There are many scientific studies where it is shown that meditations helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Also, it promotes a positive attitude, creates self-awareness, increases concentrations, and improves sleep quality.
In the following I present to you 3 mini exercises that you can practice anytime you’d like . You just need to be in a place where you feel comfortable and to close the eyes.
Mini 1
From a comfortable position and with the eyes close, count 1,2,3,4 as you inhale, hold the breath, and count 1,2,3,4 as you exhale. Do three rounds and then increase until you reach a count of 6 (total of 9 rounds).
Mini 2
Sit down and take a comfortable seat or lay down. Place the right hand on top of your chest and left one over the abdomen. Close your eyes and observe the heartbeat and the natural rythm of your breath. Pay attention to what part of the body rises and falls as you breath, how deep is the breath (don’t change it), and watch how the heartbeat and breath sycronize.
Mini 3
Begin in a comfortable seat or laying down. Relax the body, relax the jaw, your eyes, the area in between your eyebrows. Close your eyes. Begin to count your inhales and exhales: inhalel, exhalate, 1; inhale, exhale 2; etc, until you reach up to 10. Once you reach 10, you can repeat this exercise as many times as you’d like.
I hope you find these short meditations useful and that they allow you to be more relaxed throughout the day.
xx
Irene