Breathe.
In our breath, lies a completely overlooked source of power that can transform life.
Yet we take it for granted much of the time.
There are a couple of reasons why.
It's automatic.
Like the sun rising and setting every day. It just happens. We don't have to consciously make ourselves breathe. Our body does it for us.
It's instinctive.
From the moment we are born to the moment we die, we breathe. We didn't have to take classes to teach us how to breathe. It's just part of how we exist.
It's uninteresting.
We live in a modern economy that never shuts up. We're bombarded by messages every day, all vying for our attention. With this overwhelming noise constantly stimulating our brains, breathing can be perceived as very routine and ordinary.
The thing is... breathing is anything but ordinary.
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There's tremendous power in breathing.
Tuning in to our breathing at different times during the day, can be life changing and create the following benefits.
5 transformative benefits of breathing
It brings us back to the present moment.
It's one of the most convenient ways to bring us back to the present moment and aid us in increasing our moment to moment awareness.
It's healing.
It helps us calm the mind and body. It' a natural pain reliever. It can reduce stress hormones in the body, relax our muscles and increase well being.
It helps us focus.
When we have too much to do and find ourselves running to get through our day, taking a breath can help us slow things down, refocus and increase our concentration.
It reduces knee jerk reactions.
It helps us become aware of our thoughts and feelings with a greater degree of calmness. It gives us space and room to consider a more mindful way to respond in a tricky situation, rather than react.
It's awakening.
When life is overwhelming or challenging it can be especially difficult to keep things in perspective and remain positive. Breathing helps us be a little more awake, a little more aware and it's a great way to pause and remind ourselves how fleeting our lives are and what a wonderful world it really is.
Breathe.
Experience the power of breathing with this simple daily exercise.
Use sounds throughout your day to remind you to pause and breathe. Any time you hear a noise like your cell phone bleeping, music, buzzing or any particular sound that gets your attention, take a slightly deeper breath in and exhale slowly out. Try keeping your attention on this one complete breath.