Hello and welcome to this 21 day breath work challenge.
My name is Inge and it is my mission to help people improve their health by connecting science and practice in simple enjoyable teachings.
One of the biggest pillars of health is your breath.
How you breathe influences every system in your body.
If you learn to control and train the breath,
You will have control over your stress response,
Your immune system,
Your mood,
Your thoughts,
Your responses to other people,
Your sleep,
Your body posture,
Your body structure,
Your blood pressure,
Your athletic performance and even your physical appearance.
This challenge will take you on a 21 day journey through all breath work has to offer,
Creating an intimate and personal connection between your mind and body.
If after that you are interested in learning about the science of breath work,
I encourage you to have a look at my courses The Science and Practice of Breathing.
Are you ready to increase your awareness about your breathing?
Let's get started.
Please find a comfortable seat,
A journal and a pen.
In this practice session we will assess your current breathing habits.
But before we do this,
I would like to invite you to observe yourself with openness,
Compassion and kindness.
And to notice anything about your breath without judging yourself for the current state of affairs.
Wherever you are right now,
Breathing is something that you can change.
Like any type of endurance or skill,
This is something you can learn.
So,
I would like to invite you to write your own story of empowerment and growth.
In your journal.
If you are ready,
Please take a moment to sit and observe how you are currently breathing without any instructions.
Do you breathe through your mouth or through your nose?
Which parts of your body move as you breathe?
Is your breathing abdominal,
Low in the belly or from the ribs?
Or from the upper chest?
Or from the back?
How big and how long is the wave of each breath?
Is your breath light with little sound or loud with sound?
As soon as you exhale,
Do you need to inhale immediately?
Or is there a natural pause between your breaths?
Is it easy to see what's going on?
Is there any movement in your breathing?
For example,
Because your shoulders move up as you breathe?
I'd like you to take a moment to write this down for yourself before we move forward.
You can suffice with noting a few words per question.
So,
Nose or mouth?
Which body parts move?
Abdomen,
Ribs,
Chest,
Back,
Shoulders?
How big and how long is the wave?
Is breathing light,
Heavy,
Silent,
Loud?
Do you notice a pause?
How big and how long is the wave between your breaths?
Generally,
Healthy breathers breathe through the nose,
Expanding the belly and side ribs with relaxed shoulders so that the lungs can expand into the back area,
Moving in slow,
Silent waves,
With little observable movement in other places than the abdominal and rib area,
And with natural pauses between the exhale and the inhale.
If any of these things are not optimal at the moment,
There is absolutely nothing to worry about.
First,
This is just one moment in time to measure your breathing.
Breathing is affected by a number of constantly changing factors,
Such as time of day,
Sleep,
Stress levels,
Female menstrual cycle,
And a variety of other situational factors.
So,
If we want a good idea of our general breathing habits,
We need multiple measurements.
Ideally,
Ask yourself these questions every now and then,
So you get a better understanding of how you breathe in general and at particular moments.
When you become more aware of your breathing patterns throughout the day,
Month,
Or year,
You will notice that there are natural fluctuations that have to do with your circadian rhythm 24-hour cycle,
Your menstrual cycle if you have one,
And the seasons.
If you think that your current breathing pattern measurement does reflect a more general breathing habit,
This simply means that there is room for improvement.
And this improvement will come by learning how your current breathing is hindering or helping you,
And with practicing how to adjust your breathing to live a healthier life.
Consider this moment of mindfulness around how you breathe a starting point from which you can grow and feel better,
More relaxed,
And more energized with every class you take.
Thank you for taking the time to check in with yourself and with me.
In our next practice session,
We will measure your body oxygen levels.
