Challenge Yourself to Breathe Consciously

Copyright © 2006 Sharron Phillips

Why bother?  Our physical makeup provides automatic breathing.  In good health we don't need to think about taking a next breath.  It happens continuously and without effort.  In fact, have you spent any time marveling at how you breathe without conscious thought?  Unless someone is instructing you in a yoga, Lamaze, swimming or gym class about when and how to inhale and when and how to exhale, many of us are unaware of what our breathing patterns are and how we can alter them.

What would be the benefits of conscious breath?  Here are three that I know.  The first is to learn to breathe more deeply to activate more lung capacity.  Most of us use only a small fraction of our potential to bring oxygen into our bodies.  As our lives become more fast paced, we usually get used to breathing quick, shallow breaths or we start to hold our breath.  One of the most dramatic realizations that I was holding my breath happened after a ride to work on very icy roads.  When I arrived at my destination and turned off the car ignition, I gasped for air and realized that I had hardly breathed for the entire forty minute, high tension drive.  Start checking in with yourself to monitor how you are breathing.  This will give you a baseline to your patterns, especially in stressful situations.

The brain and body need a good oxygen supply to function well.  Try this experiment.  When you are ready to go to sleep, try taking a long, slow, deep breath. Hold the air in your lungs for as long as you can and then slowly exhale.  You may be amazed at the feeling of having expanded lungs.  It may feel uncomfortable at first.  Try this for a few nights in a row and gradually you will feel more comfortable.  The next step is to try taking deep breaths periodically during the day.  Begin by doing this experiment while you are waiting for a red light, in an elevator, before eating a meal.  Hopefully you will begin to breathe more deeply both consciously and unconsciously!

A second benefit of conscious breath is that in times of conflict, upset, or heated moments with family members or strangers, conscious breath my help you avoid doing or saying things that you will regret later on.  Breath can help break the cycle of emotional turmoil.  Sometimes we have patterns of behavior surrounding the times we feel that we need to defend ourselves which seem to have lives of their own.  We 'get on a roll' and can't seem to change it even when we may realize while we're in the middle of it that it won't be productive.

I have helped myself by learning to use breath as a tool in these instances.  The best you may be able to do in the beginning of learning to take a breath in tense situations, is to remember afterwards that you forgot to take a breath.  Believe it or not, this is a first and important step.  It is the step where you invite the possibility of doing something a different way.  Gradually, you will have the awareness in time to take action.  You will understand that stopping to take a breath is likely to be helpful.  Changes don't usually happen overnight, so be patient with yourself. 

Lastly, conscious breath is a step to deliberate relaxation.  Here are some of the times I use breath for deliberate relaxation.....the end of the day, the dentist chair, giving a blood sample at the doctor's office, being in a line in the supermarket, and before I give a presentation to a group.  If you don't know how to relax, this is a free, easy and uncomplicated, always available option to choose.  Use your breath consciously to slow down, get perspective and feed your brain and body with the oxygen it needs for maximum performance.  Put your lungs to work!