Breathing and Wellbeing
Breathe in, Breathe out…
Why is breath so important? Each day I try to find space within my day to breathe. On the surface this may appear to be a strange concept considering we breathe in and out all day. We barely notice we are doing it, our body is on autopilot. Breathing can be a very powerful tool to help us to reconnect and feel present within ourselves. It can help to settle our mind and feel more at peace with ourselves. The breath is always there every moment, moving by itself like a river.
Each day, I try to spend some meaningful time outside, even if just for a few minutes. Sometimes it is taking in my surroundings in my back garden, sometimes it's during my commute home from work, sometimes it's sitting peacefully beside an open window.
In my garden, I stand or sit as still as comfortable. I breathe in, I breathe out. I hear birdsong or distant sounds of the world around me. I feel the breeze on my skin. I feel the warmth of the sun or the chill on my face. I focus and feel the now, the present. In that moment, nothing else matters, I could be anywhere. I feel reconnected with myself and my garden and nature. I feel calm and peaceful. If for whatever reason I can’t be outside I spend some time by an open window. I sit still. I listen and I look. I let the moment be calm. I see, I hear, I feel. Sometimes I close my eyes.
Regularly, on a work day, I’m walking home. There is a park that takes me about a minute or so to walk through. This park has trees, grass and flowers and is usually pretty quiet. By this point I’m almost home and mainly transitioned from work to home. I love this park! As I walk through it I look at the clouds. I notice the plants, seasonal changes and any creatures. I breathe deeply and purposefully. I usually feel pretty peaceful by the time I’ve walked through it. I feel tuned into myself and the nature around me.
Breathing and mindfulness is now well established and valued by most for its benefits to body and mind. It has been a significant element of Buddhist and Tibetan meditation techniques for centuries.
However, despite its powerful benefits it is still something that so many of us haven’t yet built into our daily routines as we have with teeth brushing, washing, taking exercise, eating healthy foods and other daily habits. Habits to keep us well, that are good for us. This is something that I am working on, something I am trying to do more of along with yoga and meditation, perhaps you’re further on in building the habit, perhaps like me you strive to build this in more or maybe you’re just beginning…wherever you are, be proud and feel good for what you are already doing rather than focussing on what you’re not doing.
I encourage everyone to try to build in more space to be mindful and be grateful to yourself for what you already do. You can find out more ways to incorporate mindfulness here soon.
