Just Breathe. It is not only one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs, but also great advice. Breathing is so basic yet so overlooked. Yes, we breathe all the time without thinking about it. We tend to notice our breathing when it’s not working well, but forget about it when it’s working. Check yourself. Are you breathing? Phew. Good! Now, HOW are you breathing?

When I started paying attention to my breathing, I noticed I don’t breathe deep very often. When I’m feeling anxious, it is almost impossible to breathe deep. Sometimes I am even holding my breath! Why? No freaking clue. If I really stop and pay attention (this seems to happen a lot at stop lights) I will notice I am breathing shallow and my body is tense.

At almost every Ayurvedic appointment, I get asked the same question.
“How is your breathing?”
“Um, well… I mean, I’m breathing all the time. All day long actually, so that’s good.”

At some point it becomes stupid to pay someone $150/hour to tell me to breathe deep. Obviously my visits are more than that, but most appointments, the topic of deep breathing (or lack thereof) always comes up. Here I learned the difference between belly breathing and barely breathing.  Belly breathing is the most beneficial for me. It’s pretty easy to do. Lay down and put your hand on your belly. Take a deep breath. Does your hand move up and down? Yes? Then you are belly breathing. No? Then you are not! Simple as that. If only your chest is rising and falling, but not your belly, then you are probably not belly breathing.

Deep breathing has so many health benefits:

• Stress reduction & relaxation
• Better blood flow & stronger lungs
• Release endorphins & decrease pain levels
• Reduce blood pressure
• Release toxins from the body
• Better sleep

Even though it sounds so simple, if you are not used to deep breathing, it can be a challenge at first. Start with 2 minutes. Find a quiet place if you can, close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Your mind may wander at first and that is ok! If you notice this happening, redirect your attention & keep going. I have used meditation apps (One of my favs right now is Stop, Breathe, Think. It reminds you to pay attention & bring back your wandering mind! Even with a scattered mind, breathing deep is still beneficial! I try to spend a few minutes deep breathing first thing in the morning, mid afternoon when I’m picking up my kids from school, and right before bed. Before sleep is the most beneficial for me because it helps me relax, fall asleep faster, and release the tension in my body. Sometimes I wake up with sore muscles and wonder what happened to me in my sleep! Usually this happens after a night of sleep that started off restless. Work your way up to 5 minutes, then 10 minutes. The longer the better, but even 5 minutes of deep breathing a day will help!

Keep track of your breathing throughout the day. I used to set a reminder on my smart watch twice a day. When my alarm went off, I would take notice of my breathing, which was usually barely there! It may not be practical to lay down and breathe at work, so if that’s the case, just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
If you struggle with belly breathing, c

heck out the Resperate. I have told so many people about this device – even some random guy at the pool while I was on vacation. I overheard him say he had high blood pressure and was going to take medication. He seemed so young for that. I just had to share what I knew. My husband was slightly embarrassed. I did apologize for eavesdropping though! It is a belt with a sensor that straps around your waist and detects your breathing. It then leads you into longer, slower deep breaths. The first few minutes are always shocking to me because my breathing seems so fast once I stop & pay attention to it. It’s almost hard to keep up when you consciously think about it.  I find it so relaxing, but some nights I am too antsy to do it for very long. It is proven to lower blood pressure and is a great way to end your day and nod off to sleep.

I’ve read that meditating for 30 minutes is like sleeping for an hour. I wouldn’t know because usually after 10 minutes of this, I’m a crazy restless person. But I’m working my way up and would love to get to a 30 minute breathing/meditation session every night before bed. I think this would be so life changing. My mind is often like a bunny rabbit bouncing around in there from topic to topic. Supposedly, regular meditation trains your brain. When you start doing it all the time, your brain becomes used to it and it’s easier to sink into that relaxed state. My goal is to find out!