As we enter our last bootcamp of the year can we take a deep breath together?
- Sit with your back straight.
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth and keep it there through the entire next steps.
- Exhale throughout your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips lightly if this seems awkward.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8
- This is one complete breath. Inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Assess how you feel…
What you just participated in was a breathing exercise that many people use as a tool to achieve general relaxation and manage stress. This may not be something you’re familiar (or comfortable) with and it sure was weird for me when I first started. I began putting this into practice when I got my first Fitbit watch and it would remind me to take a deep breath. To assist you, the watch also offers and takes you through breathing exercises. At first, I thought this effort was a waste of time because I already knew how to breath right? I do it effortlessly every day. Then I realized I was living a robotic lifestyle, constantly moving on autopilot mode. As I started to implement the breathing exercises into my daily practice deep breathing became a powerful tool in the care for my soul and peace of mind.
When I am about to film on camera or speak at an event, I become nervous, the butterflies are nonstop. In those moments before I am about to be introduced, I take time to take a deep breath. When I am angry, I take a long deep breath before I speak and many times, that breath allows me to quiet my anger. Additionally, I don’t care much about getting the last word anymore. When I am stressed or can’t sleep, I take a deep breath and say Peace Be Still, it always works.
Being an entrepreneur is exciting and exhilarating and holds lots of great experiences and opportunities, but it can also be incredibly draining. I appreciate the breathing exercises because they are a practical resource available to be implemented quickly and at any time, allowing me to be more mindful of my body, act rather than react, break from going through the motions, be more creative and more attentive to the ways in which God is present and working through me during each season of my life.
Most times we rarely take notice of the thousands of breaths our lungs take every day; the very thing that keeps us alive and functioning. We often find ourselves so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we forget to take time and be thankful for the breath.
I encourage you to look more into breathing exercises and begin to implement them in your life. These tools will create mindfulness, calm your soul, and bring awareness to your body as well as the ways in which God is present and working within your life. So take a break and take a breath! No Mess
