As I exercised to some Silver Sneakers videos today, I was impressed by how often the leaders would remind folks to breathe! Would you think we would need to be instructed to breathe? And yet we do.
As part of my therapy practice, I focused on stress management, relaxation, breathing techniques. I made a CD of relaxation exercises. However, I am noticing lately that I am often taking in shallow breaths, even at times unconsciously holding my breath. You may be familiar with the term “monkey mind, a distracted condition frequently experienced when people seek to meditate. One of the directions in that circumstance is “return to the breath.”
In my Face Book memories today, I had a post I had shared from Marci Richards Suelzer, a Licensed Professional Counselor who focuses on trauma, depression and anxiety. One of her suggestions for coping with terrible things going on in the world, was to learn breathing techniques to calm both body and mind. If you create such a peaceful place within, you can call it up when you need it. One client I worked with myself, found it helpful to imagine sitting on the ocean floor, all the clamor above the ocean stilled down below. Ms. Suelzer mentioned Insight Timer, which I have written about before and use almost daily. If you have not discovered that app, I highly recommend that you check it out.
Although we think of breathing as natural, there are many breathing exercises and particular methods called pursed lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing which are recommended to be practiced 5-10 minutes daily.
A person can perform the following steps while lying down or sitting up straight in a chair.
- Place both hands on the abdomen, feeling the rise and fall of each breath.
- Close the mouth and take a slow breath in through the nose, while feeling the abdomen rise and inflate like a balloon.
- Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, as if blowing bubbles, with each expiratory breath taking about two to three times as long as each inhalation.
- Repeat these steps for 5–10 minutes. Keep the hands on the abdomen to help improve awareness of the correct breathing technique.
May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter. Shalom, Kate
Hope’s Café Bonus: Some other recommendations include sleeping on one’s side with pillow under the head and pillow between the knees; proper posture; regular meditation; and even singing! (People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease—COPD—who sing regularly reduce their shortness of breath and are better able to manage their symptoms.)
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