We breathe all the time, day and night, everyday, until we stop. When we breathe in, the ribs, the muscles of the chest wall and the diaphrahm help to expand our lungs. Our breathing is extremly prone to interference from emotional and mental activity. Even though the autonomic nervous system keeps us breathing automatically. When we are affected by stress we breath inaffectively, shallow, from the chest area and often hold our breath. The result is that we may feel dizzy, ineffective, unable to concentrate agitated and stressed.
So here is a test that I do with many of my clients at the end of a Reflexology treatment.
- Lie on a your back , either on your bed or on the floor. Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest and leave them there. Relax and breathe as you always do and see whether your chest or stomach is rising and falling the most.
- If your chest is rising and your stomach is staying completely still when breathing in, then you are breathing incorrectly.
- Practice breathing in and out, whilst keeping your hand on your stomach. Take a deep breath, concentrating on your belly getting bigger and count to five. Then exhale and see if your stomach drops and your chest stays still.
- Keep doing these exercises so that you can learn to breathe this way all the time. Pushing out your stomach as you breath in. Maybe take some time each day just to concentrate on your breath. This type of breathing will eventually become natural for you, and you will feel less stress and less tension in your every day life.
So when things get hard, you feel anxious or just a little stressed.. apply this technique and you will see a difference. Michelle XX