When Christopher Columbus arrived in the new world and landed on
his rowboat...the natives could not see his ship out at sea!
Their familiarity with their environment and the ocean in
particular was such that they couldn't perceive the ship
(something they had never even imagined before). An elder
medicine man that had the flexibility of perception had to
describe the ship to his fellow tribesmen before they could see
it.
This same familiarity applies to how we perceive our breathing.
To the ancient Indian system of Yoga, breathing is considered to
be so important that before any task a yogi first prepares
his/her breathing. Proper breath control is considered the key
to healthy living. In fact, learning to do proper diaphragmatic
breathing has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety
permanently.
Our breathing is something that we have become so familiar with
that we are almost completely unaware of its effects. Consider
this, our breath bridges our conscious and unconscious i.e.
unconsciously we are always breathing and at any time we can
consciously focus on our breathing.
This is important to remember because all our emotional states
are reflected in our breathing. If we are stressed our breathing
tends to be shallow and focused in our upper lungs. In fact
jerky breathing itself will actually increase anxiety and
stress. While when we are relaxed we tend to breathe fully into
our belly. Knowing this you can observe yourself and know when
its time to consciously take control of your breathing to
control your stress.
Practicing belly breathing (diaphragmatic breathing) can be
extremely beneficial and can be done anytime. Just follow this
simple method... Sit or stand with your back straight, put your
hand on your belly and breath in a slow and deep pattern. Don't
try to overfill the lungs or empty them - just breath softly but
fully - expanding your belly on the inhale and contracting on
the exhale. Keep your attention focused on your breathing. You
will find that your mind will tend to drift. That is normal.
Simply return your attention to your breath when you notice you
got distracted. Allow the relaxation from this breathing pattern
to spread through your body and just enjoy yourself.
This next one may come as a surprise to you...stress can cause
the blood to drain from your forehead!
This is a natural biological response to remove blood from your
brain to your body so you can fight or run (the famous fight or
flee mechanism). This is perfectly fine for when we roamed the
plains but in modern day living we don't need to fight at work
or run away from it. We have to learn to not only cope but to
excel.
Fortunately there are two points on your forehead, that in the
ancient Chinese system of Acupuncture are called the
'neuro-vasculars'. If you hold these points lightly, with a
little deep breathing, they will bring the blood back into your
brain!
These points are located about one inch above the center of your
eyebrows. To make sure you got it, put the palm of your right
hand on your right sight of your forehead so that the 'ball' of
your forehead is in the center of your palm. Same for the left
side. Breathe deeply while holding lightly.
The 2-minute stress relief technique is simple.
When you feel stressed, angry, nervous, under pressure etc. Sit
down with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Hold
your neuro-vascular points while doing diaphragmatic breathing.
In 2 minutes, you will feel more relaxed and clear headed.
About the author:
Abbas Abedi--- Discover Insider Secrets of Instant Stress
Relief. Learn How Easy It Can Be To Relax Immediately,
Evaporating Your Stress Away...While Picking Up Effective Stress
Management Skills for Life! Visit:
http://www.InstantStressManagement.com
