Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host,
Barbara J.
Faison,
And my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2024,
Week 13,
Deep Breathing Practice.
This is a podcast about remembering to take three to five deep breaths during the day.
We are officially in spring.
Yay!
And there's still a lot going on in the world.
I don't know about you,
But I'm starting to really have to remind myself to stop and take deep breaths during the day even more.
One of my practices is to have my phone alarm at different times during the day.
I change the word alarm to an affirmation or something I want to be reminded of,
Like take five deep breaths.
I call this my affirmation alarm practice.
My alarm at 1 11 p.
M.
Is all is well with five.
My alarm at 1 11 p.
M.
Is all is well with high five emojis and hearts.
At 4 44 p.
M.
The alarm prompts me to take deep breaths.
The 10 30 p.
M.
Alarm is thank you for this day with emojis as well.
Emojis remind me to be less serious.
Yes,
I have to be reminded of this often.
After over 25 years meditating daily,
Practice is what it's all about.
It's also the little things like connecting with your breath and your body and finding moments of beauty and presence.
Did you know that taking a few deep breaths during the day regularly helps reduce stress and overwhelm?
You probably know what's next,
Right?
Yep,
It's time to practice.
The excerpt from my book e-book audiobook,
Why Struggle Life is Too Short to Wear Tight Shoes,
Is the deep breathing practice.
Deep breathing practice.
Sit comfortably with your back straight if possible.
Gently close your eyes and begin to become aware of your breath.
Simply breathe in and breathe out.
Pay attention to your breath as you breathe in and out and allow your body to settle into this practice.
Just breathe in and breathe out.
Place your hands on your stomach as you continue to breathe.
On your next in breath,
Take a deep breath in while pressing your belly out as if you are trying to push your belly button out as far as you can.
On your next exhale,
Press your belly button back into place.
Continue pressing out your belly button on your exhale and pressing your belly button back into place on the inhale.
Once you're comfortable with this belly breathing,
Begin counting to three on the in breath as you expand your stomach.
Hold your breath for a count of three,
Then contract your stomach for the count of three.
You should feel more air moving through your body.
Continue breathing deeply for up to 10 minutes.
When you're ready to return to the present moment,
Open your eyes and allow your breath to return to normal.
Continue using this deep breathing technique during your day or whenever you want to be reminded to be in the present moment.
This deep breathing is also very helpful to reduce stress or anxiety.
Purpose?
Reminder to be present.
End of excerpt.
Daily deep breathing exercises can help you reduce stress and anxiety and lower resting blood pressure.
Consider trying three to five deep breaths a few times a day and notice how your body responds.
If you have an Apple Watch or other technology,
Deep breathing may already be an option for you to select a few times a day.
Of course,
You can always just use your alarm function as I mentioned earlier.
I'd love to know how you felt after taking a few deep breaths.
Leave a comment where you're listening to this podcast.
