Breathing is designed to keep us alive. It does so very many things, including keeping our brain functioning properly so that we can think clearly and make good life decisions. It also allows us to take fresh EVERYTHING (thoughts, energy, ideas, life) in and get bad toxins out. If we are doing it properly it may even have the power to heal many medical problems. So why is hardly anyone, especially women, REALLY doing it? In order for your breath to be able to have it's true effects on your mind and body it can not be done shallowly. Have you ever caught yourself taking short, fast breaths that only go as far as your chest before being quickly expelled? That kind of "sort cut" breathing is just a few steps shy of a panic attack. And that is exactly how most of us are living our entire lives, two steps away from a panic attack, perhaps maybe without even knowing it.
As mentioned earlier (but well worthy of repeating), proper breathing allows enough oxygen to get to the brain so that it can function well and allow you to make good life decisions
Believe it or not, it also helps move things through your mind and body, keeping away the stagnation of the addictive thought replay we often get stuck in eg. when thoughts and worries go round and round in our mind, when cravings cause us to think of nothing else, or even when that annoying song gets stuck in your head.
Unconscious scattered breaths cause deadening scattered thoughts that store themselves uncomfortably or even painfully in your body, bringing even more scattered breathing that gets us stuck in a terrible cycle. When we are that scattered, we are no longer present in our own life. We are just going through life without actually living life.
Thich Nhat Hanh's Miracle of Mindfulness, for me personally, has been a good resource on this, learning what proper breathing is for me and ways to incorporate great breathing in my every day life.
It all starts with attention, to our breath, which connects us to our body, which connects us to the moment we are actually in.
And, Congrats! From the second you read that last statement your attention was probably already drawn to it. That’s mostly all it takes.
That and the slow, deliberate, conscious breaths going past your chest and down into your stomach, which are more likely to happen if you are paying attention and concentrating on it.
However, regularly keeping that attention and concentration is SO much harder than it sounds and requires constant practice. But the benefits are more than worth it!!
Great breathing hack: Buddhist monks use Gathas to keep this concentration and attention throughout all, and I mean ALL, their daily activities (including pooping, yes there is a pooping Gatha and I love it! Perfectly compost related! Ahhh, good ol’ compost, but I digress).
Gathas are short poems or verses that we can recite to ourselves, regardless of where we are, to help us return to the present moment.
Taking notice of the rhythm of the lines, recite the first line as you breathe in and the second line as you breathe out, and so on. When you are stuck in traffic, waiting at the bank, walking down a hallway at work, eating a meal, washing our hands, taking out the garbage or even going to the restroom, reciting these short verses will bring awareness, peace, and wonder to the simple activities we may take for granted. .
Examples of Gathas and References for this post:
Breath
When you do not
pay attention
I am only one half
of a sacred conversation.
When you do not join me,
when you leave me
for endless time unattended,
I have no other choice
but to keep repeating
over and over
the old fears,
the deadening habits,
that keep you stagnant,
and injure your body,
until you must pay attention
until you must stop & breathe
Within this breath
we finally meet,
in the same perfect moment
and become one
Lovingly letting go
of everything else
because nothing else
truly matters
BREATH : BODY : THOUGHT Connection
