Start Breathing When It Matters The Most and Get More
Who knew that you had to learn how to breathe?To become aware of your breath is to become aware of the moment. To become aware of the moment is to be in the now. And to be in the now is to be one with all things – both good and bad.
That is what accepting is really all about.
There is to past, there is no future, there is only now. It is all we got, and it is all the time.
So you better get comfortable with it now, because it’s going to follow you for the rest of your days.
Start breathing
As I stated earlier, to become aware of your breath is one of the most powerful tools you can employ to fully embrace and experience the moment.
Fully embracing means fully accepting – I talked to a greater length about accepting in the last post here: Accept Yourself: How To Let Go of Bad Emotions and Feelings.
Stop and breathe
What I try to do a couple times a day, is to stop and just breathe.
Really focus on it; close your eyes.
Breathe air in through your nose, and deep into your belly. Breathe as deeply and slowly and controlled as you possibly can.
Now slowly exhale and relax your whole body. Let go of any tension.
Repeat it a couple of times, personally I usually go with about 9-12 “repetitions”.
I feel that this little quick procedure really has the ability to give me strength and courage all through out the day. It is perfect for coping with stress.
Just one conscious breath a day is better than zero. You can do one right now!
Breathe in air through your nose, and exhale it slowly. Feel the energy of the fresh air as it passes your organs. Feel the air circulate in your lungs. Really feel it.
Air is not just air, it is life itself.
Breathe when it matters the most
We have a tendency to forget to breathe when it matters the most.
Under high pressure. During sex. While having an important conversation. When you exercise.
Remember to breathe in these situations, and I promise you that you are going to have more success doing what you are doing.
Try it and let me know how it goes!
What about you?
Do you ever breathe consciously? And if so, why, and when do you do it?
For me, conscious breathing is my secret weapon.
Let me hear your thoughts in the comment section!
See you there :-)
First photo by Ryo. Second one by Meredith.
Hey Alex
Once in a while I stop whatever I am doing and just start breathing. While I do this, I say to myself: It will be allright. Or something like that.
This has been an inspiration to keep it up, and maybe even do it more often! Thanks
That sounds like a great little routine Michael.
I’m always glad to inspire!
Stay well :o)
Usually I only focus on my breath during sports.. maybe its a good idea to start thinking about it during everyday work and doing stuff like buying groceries etc!
I’ll “try it and let you know what happens”…
he he.
/Angelo
That sounds good Angelo!
And yeah, breathing correctly is really important during sports…
Looking forward to hearing back from you ;-)
Another great post Alex!
This post reminds me of my Oral Communications course I took last year. In it I had to give several speeches in front of an average of 30 students. I remember the professor used to always say, “just breathe.”
Now that I think about that, and what you just wrote up, it all makes sense. Just relax, and breathe. In times of stress, that’s all we got to do. In a way it almost makes us realize that we only have so much control, and that we are only human, we got to just take it easy and see the big picture.
As you said, the past is the past, and the future is yet to come, we live in the now, and breathing reminds us of that. It tells us we are alive, living in that very moment. Breathing in essence is almost like the very substance of living. It keeps us going, and it keeps us alive.
Just a couple days ago, I was awaiting my turn for an interview for a promotion, and of course I was nervous. I chatted away with a few other prospective interviewees and detected some stuttering in my tone, confirming my nervousness and at that point I thought of my communications professor, and thought to myself “just breathe.”
So I relaxed, and breathed, and went into the interview with confidence and humility, and nailed it! Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the bullshit we forget to just breathe. We live in such a fast paced world anymore and everybody is on the go. We got to slow down…..we got to breathe!
Sean, my man!
True words of wisdom. Fantastic to hear about that job interview.
You’re doing a great job, and you really ‘get it’!
Just beautiful :-)
Alex
It almost feels too good to conscious breath.
Thanks again Alex
Well Omar,
just keep it up!
Heya alex!
This was a great reminder ..
See, I’m a mom to two (a little too) active boys aged 5 and 7, so I need some relaxation once in a while.
Just stopping up and breathing is excellent.
Sharon
You’re welcome Sharon.
Sounds fun about your boys… Good luck with it all :-)
And keep breathing!
Stay cool,
Alex
Great article, something everyone needs to be reminded of. We get so caught up in getting things done that we forget to take a moment and breathe. Irony is that taking a moment out of your day to relax for a few moments will help you concentrate and get more done in the day.
Alex
Alex,
True words, true words..
Thanks for your comment :-)
It’s a good idea, pushing your stomach out as you breathe in is also a lot more beneficial than expanding your ribs.
Also, sort of to do with this, turtles always consciously breathe as they don’t have any instinct to breathe like we get if we hold our breath. If they forgot to breathe they would just die. Then again, think how relaxed turtles always look swimming about.
That’s really cool Adam, I didn’t know!
And yeah, I agree. It’s all about ‘filling’ the stomach.
Happy halloween!
I must’ve missed this one earlier, Alex. It’s great. I like how you incorporate some of these mindfulness techniques into the overall message in your postings. Acceptance, breathing…..great stuff. I come here often, with good reason. Keep up the good work.
its really great to learn so much from your articles. thanks for sharing all the above information with us and i would want to ask you if there is any way i could increase my self esteem and enhance my concentration power
Thank you Steve, it’s much appreciated! I’ll look forward to your next visit…
And Natasha, thank you so much :-)
Self esteem (for girls) and concentration power are not really my ‘subjects’, but if you’d like, I recommend that you send me an email through the contact form here and tell me more about yourself. Let’s take it from there!
I like breathing, it keeps me alive
a good ol’ breathe gets me through the day