If there was a way to boost your energy without caffeine, loud music, a nap, or stimulants, would you use it?
What about if a special little trick could help you go from feeling wired and alert, to instantly being ready for a restful & snuggly slumber?
Better yet, what if when you are feeling STRESSED, you have a fancy method that will help you feel back to better than before with a simple 30 second investment?
The good news? All of those are possible (& more) by simply just doing different forms of BREATHING!
The great news? I’m going to show, coach, & tell you how to do it today, so you can start using these helpful tactics in your day right now!
Breathing does a lot more than just “keep you alive”; it can help you FEEL more alive and healthy than before when you give it the attention and love it is asking for. Breathing in plain black and white is necessary to keep living, but there are correct times and places for hard, heavy breathing as well as being soft and gentleBreathing does a lot more than just “keep you alive”; it can help you FEEL more alive and healthy than before when you give it the attention and love it is asking for.
Here is an excerpt from a recent article I wrote on (another) 3 breathing methods, some cool apps to help you relax with meditation, & what science has to say about the effects of breathing on your body. Check it out by following this link right here:
- The Journal of American College Health conducted a study evaluating the effects meditation-based stress-management had on stress, forgiveness, rumination[deep thought], and hope for undergraduate students. They concluded, “Evidence suggests that meditation-based stress-management practices reduce stress and enhance forgiveness among college undergraduates.”
- The Journal of Human Hypertension investigated how short sessions of regular and slow breathing could lower blood pressure (which is a good thing). By using BIM (Breathing with Interactive Music), the method was a 10-minute daily practice for 8 weeks, and blood pressure was recorded consistently throughout the duration of the study. The majority of the active treatment group had a positive reaction, lowering their blood pressure more than double the amount versus those in the control group.
- Finally, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine investigated the benefits Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on stress reduction. MBSR has been shown to have a positive impact on many physical and mental disorders, but little attention has validated its ability to aid healthy populations. They concluded that MBSR reduced stress, rumination[toxic thoughts], and trait anxiety. Enhanced spirituality value, relaxation, and self-compassion/empathy were also associated when practicing MBSR.
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From day to day, do you really pay attention to how you’re breathing, let alone where you’re breathing?
You (and by that I mean all of us) hold a lot of our emotional stress and tension in our neck and shoulders, and one thing that happens is when we feel tensed up with stress, or when we feel at ease and relaxed, is we begin to breathe in different ways. When in a state of stress, or activating our primitive defense system, you begin breathing more in your chest, taking shallow breaths and this causes our shoulders and upper body to consistently be engaged. Ever wonder why you consistently feel tight in your shoulders, neck, and upper chest? I’ll make the statement that it has A LOT to do with your attention to your breathing (or lack thereof).
In order to remove that pesky stress from your shoulders, start getting a stronger core, and continue on your path of Living Better Every Day, you MUST start focusing on those simple sips of air in and out…
Diaphragmatic Breathing = The Holy Grail of Happiness
Diaphragmatic Breathing, which is our desired natural state of breathing for a healthy body hormones, emotional control, & mind. Breathing into your belly helps expand lungs to their full capacity so you can take a more satiated breath a deeper breath, and also strengthen the diaphragm – which is a very important muscle that stabilizes your hips, lower back & core by engaging the pelvic floor and helping keep your body in an optimal upright posture… basically, being able to tap into Diaphragmatic Breathing can be the best stress reducer, pain killer, and core strengthening exercise you do today (and all of the days moving forward!)
Having a strong diaphragm and pelvic floor will help your posture, which is directly related to your quality of life. Today, I just want to show you how you can use breathing as a tool to:
- Begin your day feeling grounded, confident, & energized
- Decrease your stress in the middle of the day (instead of curing out co-workers)
- During your training session for better performance & feeling less winded
- At the end of your day to unwind or dissociate from ‘stressful’ stuff
- Help you fall asleep like someone shot you up with a tranquilizer dart
Enough chitchat, now it’s YOUR turn to feel all of the goodness that can come from it. Feel free to skip to parts of the video to get right down to business:
Method 1) Deep Belly Breaths w/ Legs Supported – 1:14
Method 2) Box Breathing – 4:10
Method 3) Resisted Balloon Breathing (for stronger & deeper core) – 5:51
So, what you’ll notice is once you take some of those really big inhales and exhales, you feel pretty invigorated with your energy – almost like someone injected some espresso right into your bloodstream! Personally, just by taking those few right on camera, I am feeling a bit more clear and bubbly in the brain, and more energized to take on the rest of my coaching day here at Orca Empire Fitness (which, if you want to check it out, just click this link to pick up our special Free week membership!)
This works best for you if you:
- Do this for 5 minutes before starting your To-Do list of the day… the to-do’s can wait 3 minutes.
- Add this to your lunch break midday to reinvigorate your mood, energy, charisma, and vitality Before workout to help you get a little bit more mentally prepared to focus on what’s Happening right this moment
- While lying in bed to help caress you to sleep like a baby sloth on a cloud in the sky overlooking a rainbow (doesn’t that sound just peachy)
Thank you so much for investing these minutes into learning more about how YOU can Live Better Every Day!
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