Think Calm

 

Happy April!

Today I wanted to share a breathing exercise that I’ve been practicing lately with quite some dedication. I’m 29 weeks pregnant and I started practicing this breathing exercise to lower my blood pressure and stress level. Doing this exercise consistently helps calm the mind and nervous system, release tension in the body and lower your stress level. The key in this exercise is to make your exhalation double as long as your inhalation. This is very individual so you have to feel what is best for you. You might want to start with inhaling on 2 and exhaling on 4, and work your way up to inhaling for 3 and exhaling for 6, inhaling 4 and exhaling 8. You should feel at ease when you do it and not strain yourself. Because if you strain yourself and push yourself to hard then the whole purpose of this breathing exercise goes out of the window.

Take a comfortable seat, either on a chair or in a crosslegged position using a blanket to sit on. You want your spine to be long, hips and shoulders relaxed. Lift the center of your chest to create some openness. Close your eyes and take a moment to just feel the flow of your natural breathing. When you feel ready inhale for 2, 3 or 4 counts and then exhale for 4, 6 or 8 counts. Choose what is best for you. Continue like this for at least 5 minutes and work your way up to 11 minutes.

May I suggest that you use a timer so you don’t have to worry about the time.

Try it and see what happens. Only good things can come out of it.

Tip for everyday calmness:
You can do this breathing exercise ten times (an inhale and an exhale counts as one time) where ever you are. Just inhale for 2 or 3 counts and exhale for 4 or 6 counts. You can do it in your car (don’t close your eyes), walking, waiting in line etc. 

Namaste,
Helén