The Good Egg: Inhale, Exhale

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Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week and boy has it been quite the scramble. I hope you all had your small win/accomplishment this morning. And if not, make it happen!

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Take a deep breath”, which basically means calm yourself down. But how does breathing affect our emotions and our bodies?

A few days ago, I was watching a yoga class online-trying to follow along with the instructor. I was struggling (which is not abnormal). The moves weren’t challenging, but I felt stiff and really exhausted. Then I heard the instructor say “inhale” 4 times in a row. What about the exhale?! That was the first time I realized I don’t follow the breathing in yoga.

So why are instructors constantly saying “inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale”? I did some digging to learn about the importance of the breath.

Slow, deep breathing can:

Improve lung function

Regulate blood pressure

Help you relax

Clear your mind

The breathing in yoga is called Pranayama breath (that won’t be on the quiz) and it is the ability to focus and observe your breathing by taking long, slow deep breaths.

This helps the yogi to clear the mind and relax while stretching and strengthening the body. My example above is a great one of someone who really doesn’t do this.

Deep breathing affects the nervous system activating the (calming) parasympathetic nervous system and lowering the heart rate.

Slow breathing rhythm reduces activity in the brain while fast breathing rate increases activity in the brain. Those of you fast breathers…you know who you are.

Today’s Challenge

Find a time in the day to notice your breathing. What are you doing in that moment? What thoughts and feelings are you currently having: are you stressed, tired, anxious, calm, or excited? Is the breath slow, fast, deep, or shallow? Just recognize it.

When I’m stressed, I actually stop breathing. Now that I’ve noticed this, I focus on taking slow, deep breaths to relax.

breathing = mind

Deep breaths = 😌☀️👌

Take the time to breathe today and enjoy recognizing your breathing patterns.

As always, thanks for reading The Good Egg and thank you to those who have completed the survey.

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-The Good Egg 🐣