Take a breath. It’s something so simple that it’s easy to forget how powerful it really is.
Most of your breathing happens without you being conscious of it. You’ve probably already taken several breaths since you started reading this article without thinking about it at all. But it’s the act of paying attention to your breathing that can have truly incredible effects on your wellbeing.
Consciously thinking about your breath going in and out of your body is called mindful breathing. The practice of mindful breathing can help you feel in the moment and become more mindful in general. It has more benefits than you might think.
Benefits of Mindful Breathing
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated and unattainable. Just going through some deep breathing exercises in mindful breathing can help you reap the many rewards of mindfulness.
Those who regularly practice mindful breathing see improvements in their sleep, emotional regulation, attention, focus, pain level, anxiety level, and overall brain health. That’s a lot of benefits, especially for a practice that anyone can complete at almost any time or place.
Why does it work?
Mindfulness practices like mindful breathing are all about becoming present- focused on the current moment as an observer rather than thinking about the past or future. Mindfulness allows for a sort of detachment that leads to all these benefits.
By just focusing on taking a few deep breaths and shutting everything else, you can ground yourself in the present moment. Anxiety and worries about the future will start to fade into the background, as will pain and negative emotions.
Mindful breathing is perhaps most effective for reducing stress. Research has found that going through mindful breathing exercises can increase a person’s resilience and calmness. Those who utilize mindful breathing techniques have lower levels of anxiety than they did beforehand.
Why?
Well, different types of breathing are actually associated with different emotions in the brain. Typically, if you’re feeling angry or anxious, your breathing will be shallow and quick. Happiness, on the other hand, is associated with slow, deep breathing.
That means when you go through a mindful breathing exercise and slow down your breathing by taking deep breaths, you can essentially “trick” your brain into feeling the positive emotions that correspond with that kind of breathing.
In short, taking the time to think about your breathing and slow it down can trigger your nervous system to help you relax. It’s a very powerful practice considering how simple it is.
You may notice the difference in your emotional state after a single session of mindful breathing. These changes can happen incredibly quickly. Of course, you should continue with mindful breathing exercises in the long term if you want to reap the full benefits of this practice.
Reducing your stress level is possible through simply harnessing the power of breathing and being in the moment.
If you’d like to learn more about the power of breathing, mindfulness, and being in the moment, contact Full Circle Feng Shui Design today! For more tips and our latest updates, follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn!
