BREATHE

……and breathe

Just bringing your attention to the breath can have a profound effect on your general wellbeing. We can get so caught up in our heads and worry about what the future holds that we forget about what is happening in the right here and now. One of my favourite books is “The Power of Now” by Ekhart Tolle. Regret and sadness and loss lie in the past and fear and anxiety are connected with the future, but peace and acceptance are the presents of the now. Being present in the moment is the greatest present we can give ourselves.

If you would like to take a few minutes to relax,, here is a very simple technique that you can start this minute. It is a yogic practice and is called Square Breathing.

The idea is to visualise a square in front of you. You are going to start at the bottom left of the square and take a deep in-breath for 4 seconds (always through the nose for this). Then you will hold and do nothing for 4 seconds - this is represented as the top line of the box. After the 4 seconds you will breathe out for 4 seconds - that is going down the right hand side of the box and then you will hold the breath for another 4 seconds which is the bottom line of the box. And then repeat

So, breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat this at least 4 times. Just taking a few minutes to do this controlled breathing will bring you into the present moment where you will find a more peaceful experience.

If you would like more breathing exercises, just let us know and we can do some more blogs on the various yoga breathing practises you can do at home.