The Most Powerful Technology You Already Own: The Breath
Blog written by Kathryn Ort, Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Live Well Practice. Disclaimer: This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or psychological advice.
The Power of the Breath
For anyone who has engaged in therapy, usually at one point or another a therapist will have mentioned how deep breathing helps to calm the nervous system. Most people may have tried it and found it helpful in crisis situations; however, they may never have engaged in deep breathing as part of a consistent daily practice.
Breathing as a Technology
Deep breathing is a technology, did you know that? By giving attention to your breath and actively taking long, slow, deep breaths, you are not only calming the nervous system and actively creating new healthy pathways in your brain, you are also forging a connection (or reconnecting) to your inner wisdom and the essence of who you are.
That inner wisdom and insight knows the answers to everything you could ever want to know about yourself and life. Breathing grounds you and helps you feel a sense of internal stabilization, regardless of what is happening externally in your personal life or in the world.
Creating a Daily Practice
We're not taught this in schools, but I promise you: if you begin a daily practice of intentional, long, slow, deep breaths as part of how you begin and end your day, over time you will likely find that life flows more easily.
You will feel less stressed, even when something in your life happens to activate a stress response. When you turn to your breathing to calm your nervous system, you will find that ideas or solutions drop into your mind that help you navigate whatever particular situation is causing you to be stressed.
How to Start
An easy place to begin is to set the timer on your phone for 2–5 minutes, depending on your comfort level, and increase from there.
For that amount of time, sit or lie quietly.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself dropping into your heart.
Breathe in through your nose (if you can) and out through your mouth, as if you were breathing in and out of your heart.
You don't need to force anything; take long, slow, deep, gentle breaths.
To start, count in for three, hold for three, and release for a count of six.
When you're ready, move to four-four-eight, and so on.
Do this at least when you wake up before starting your day, and especially before getting on your phone.
The Essence of You
Breathing seems like too simple a solution, but it is a most effective technology to address anxiety, depression, and more. Breathing connects you back to the essence of you—and the essence of you is whole and complete.
So, use your phone to create a consistent daily practice and watch what happens!