If you want to learn how to breathe right, watch a baby,
this is how we all used to breathe
Who knew we could breathe wrong?
I knew breath was important but had no idea that doing breathing exercises could improve my overall health and mindset. Since I am always searching for ways to improve my life when I saw a video that assured me that in 19 seconds I could feel better, I thought, why not.
Of course, I knew that I needed to work out, eat better and drink more water but I had never really focused on breathing right or doing breathing exercises. Like most people, I didn’t realize I was doing it wrong.
Dang, I had thought out of everything I was doing in life that I had walking up straight and breathing mastered.
I suffered from major anxiety attacks in the past and can vividly remember the feeling of not being able to breathe. I would often call a good friend as she knew I was on the line even though I was unable to speak. She would tell me to take a deep breath and then let it out. She would continue to tell me how to breathe until I was able to speak. Eventually, my anxiety attack would fade. This breathing exercise worked every time.
Deep breathing exercises help your body to naturally calm itself and do not have the side effects of medication. In a world that is full of stress and anxiety, it is no surprise that most older children and adults breathe from the chest which is called shallow breathing.
When you take an intentional deep breath you are bringing more oxygen into your body and when you exhale you are letting out carbon dioxide.
So why breathe like a baby?
We all come into this world as master breathers. Watch a baby, and you’ll see the same kind of breathing that singers, stage actors, and other performers spend years training for. A baby’s torso expands like a balloon with each breath. Her belly puffs up, and her ribs swing-out. It’s efficient, it’s effortless, and you can’t help but relax when watching her. (excerpt from HuffPost article: Want to change your life? Breathe like a baby
So what is Conscious Breathing: (per Wikipedia)
Conscious breathing is an umbrella term for different medical and therapeutic methods to improve breathing function. These methods work with directing the awareness to one’s breathing and with changing habits, which impair the optimal functioning of the breath system. The human respiration is controlled consciously and unconsciously. The different schools of conscious breathing use this for stress reduction, improving breath related diseases, and training in mindfulness
You have to breathe anyway so why not take some of those breaths with conscious intent!
I love a good quote and the one below gives you a great visual:
“Not breathing right is the equivalent of eating junk food 23,000 times a day with each breath” – Joe DiStefano
Really, doesn’t this sound a bit extreme? Yes, but it jolted me into learning more about breath and how to make deep breathing part of my daily routine. Today when I am doing some of the exercises I imagine that I am sweeping out my entire system. I figure I sweep the house once a day, why not clean out the system that keeps me alive!
The videos below will teach you how doing several simple conscious breathing exercises can help you relieve and possibly eliminate stress, anxiety attacks, depression, and PTSD. What do you have to lose, you need to breathe anyway!
According to just-published data, 12.7 percent of Americans age 12 or older reported taking an antidepressant within the last month.
We have all seen and heard of the side effects these medications can have, some even making the user more depressed than when they started taking the medication.
Important: I am not telling you to stop a medication you are on or not to seek that out if it is necessary, but as someone that has suffered from lifelong depression, anxiety and PTSD I have never found anything that has relieved some of my symptoms better than deep breathing exercises.
Too many men, women and yes sadly children struggle with:
- depression
- GAD generalized anxiety disorder
- insomnia or not sleeping well
- anxiety
- panic attacks
- inability to stay focused
- procrastination
- bad health
- chronic pain
- general sadness that won’t go away and the list goes on…
If you or some you know suffer from any of these issues I encourage you to watch these videos.
Resources for PTSD:
If you or someone you know suffers from PTSD I encourage you to check out the National Center for PTSD, while it goes to a site for Vertern’s much of the advice can apply to anyone. You can also check out Veteran’s Employment Tool Kit that talks about the benefits of breathing exercises as well.
Be mindful of the side effects of deep breathing:
- You will be more FOCUSED
- You will feel more at PEACE
- You will suddenly TAKE ACTION when you may have normally procrastinated
- You will feel different, in a good way as the benefits are life-altering!
While I had done deep breathing exercises a few times in the past, in the last 8 days I have been consistent. I had actually been researching the morning routines of successful people and read that Anthony Robbins as well as others that I admired incorporated deep breathing exercises into their morning routines. 
From there I landed on the videos below and am pretty excited about the benefits so far. My mind feels clear, I am more focused and have worked out, meditated and stretched every day since starting the conscious breathing exercises each morning, this is a big win for me and I hope it can be for you too.
At the time of this writing, I even had my 14-year-old daughter doing the conscious breathing exercises as she unschools, is a triathlete and is showing signs of anxiety and stress. She is always on the go and struggles to sit silently and clear her mind, so this has been a great tool.
Watch the videos below to learn this exercise: 19 seconds to feel better – 4,7,8 breath, inhale 4 seconds, hold 7 seconds, exhale 8 seconds, repeat.
