And breathe…

Our breath or pranayama as it is known in yoga, is a tool for getting our body into its optimal state - parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ mode.

On average we take 22,000 breaths in a day - but how many of these can we truly say we are aware of?

Have you ever been in a stressful situation and ended up with a headache or felt really exhausted afterwards? When we are rushing around or stressed we often use a shallow way of breathing without fully engaging our diaphragm. This reduces oxygen in our blood, which is the key nutrient for all our cells and the life force of our body.

This life force (prana) is what gives us energy, provides vitality and optimises wellbeing.

By using deep belly breathing the diaphragm is engaged and the full capacity of the lungs are used. This interrupts our ‘fight and flight’ response, calms the nervous system and oxygenates our blood.

So take a few moments to be present, breathe fully into and out of the lungs through the belly - inhale and the belly rises, exhale and the belly deflates.

Notice the difference in how you feel. Just doing this for a few minutes everyday is a great way to help us reset 💛