Breathing to Relieve Stress
Using the Breath to Relieve Stress
What is stress and is it always a bad thing?
If you are feeling stressed, it means that something is changing in your life and you don’t feel completely comfortable with it. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the change is negative. You may be starting a new job, moving home or getting married, but the unfamiliarity of the situation is what is causing you to experience stress. The sensation of excitement and anxiety can be very similar – shallow breathing, ‘butterflies’ in your stomach, sweating – but we tend to regard one as a positive thing and the other as something undesirable.
Feeling stressed it is an indicator that you need to find a new rhythm of life and adjust your lifestyle in response to the change. It isn’t about going back to the old familiar way of doing things to alleviate the stress. Rather it’s about having a positive awareness of your stress and then introducing new practices to support you to relax.
Mindful breathing
Using the breath is one of the simplest and most effective ways of relieving stress and you can drop into a simple breathing practice anywhere and at any time, including during your lunchbreak or before you go to sleep at night. Mindful breathing is becoming aware of your breath – noticing how you are breathing, counting your breaths for a period of time, maybe one or two minutes. The simple process of counting will give you a stronger connection to your breath and automatically slow and deepen your breathing, which helps you to relax. The faster we breathe, the more oxygen we are taking into our body. This can promote feelings of excitement or agitation and sometimes over-breathing can lead to panic attacks. Taking deeper breaths means we take in more oxygen with each breath, so we need fewer of them. As well as counting your breaths, you may want to try breathing into a particular area of your body to support it to relax and release.
Tapping into life force energy
As part of Fuku Meiso you will learn to the healing use of breath as part of meditation practice. Breathwork alone is a deceptively powerful practice. Our breathing is controlled by the subconscious mind – we don’t have to think about it – but when we become more consciously aware of our breath, we tap into the source of our energy, our life force. While breathing is the act of taking oxygen into our body, it is also the process of pulling in positive energy and expelling what we no longer need. The carbon dioxide we breathe out is cleansed and purified by the natural world – the trees, leaves, wind and sky. The process of breathing reminds us that we are part of nature – dependent on it for our life force and connected to it with every breath in and out. When we become more aware of our breath, we access the deep spiritual wisdom of the natural world.
The freshness of spring
At this time of year, as we move into the freshness of spring, nature is inviting us to get outdoors and breathe more deeply. Whenever we do this, we start to feel better as we are not only taking in more of the essential life force energy but we are also helping to soothe and calm our overactive minds.
Breathing as first aid
If something happens that causes you to feel upset or anxious, use your breathing as a form of first aid, consciously slowing and deepening your breath to relieve the unpleasant symptoms. You don’t need to hold your breath or force it to become very slow, simply use your mind to become conscious of how you are breathing before allowing your body to take over
Meditation to improve your life
In our Fuku Meiso short course, you will learn mindful breathing as introduction to healing meditation. Meditation is an effective way to heal and improve your physical and emotional wellbeing. It also helps you connect to your wise true self. The knowledge and experience of your true self and your wisdom will transform your life and its meaning.
To find out more about Leaves Institute Fuku Meiso short meditation courses and Meditation Diploma visit: www.leavesinstitute.com/courses