Use your breath to help you untangle

Time often appears to speed up at the end of the year and it’s easy for us to feel over-committed and exhausted. If you allow yourself to get tangled up trying to achieve and “finish” too much, you end up stealing energy from yourself – and there’s no prize for that!

Practising conscious breathing is the perfect self-care gift. The more aware you become of your breathing patterns, the more you can use your breath to give you energy and keep you focused as you navigate your way through the frantic build-up to the year’s end.

Remember that you always have your breath with you. You can use it as a wellbeing tool to help you increase your stamina, enhance relaxation and recovery, as well as improve your sleep. There is no doubt that these are all wonderful benefits for both your mental and physical health.

This month’s self-care project

Try creating a breathing practice while you are on the move

Here’s how:

Place some small stickers around your house or workplace, where you will see them often. Every time you see a sticker – pause for a minute, feel your feet on the ground and bring your attention to your breath (there’s no need to sit down and stop what you are doing)

Give yourself a couple of minutes to focus on your breath.

    • Close your mouth and listen to your breath flow in and out of your nose
    • As you pay attention to your breath – watch it naturally slow down (be sure not to strain your breathing in any way) 
    • Listen and feel the breath expand into your side ribs and belly as you inhale
    • Exhale from your stomach and consciously relax your body as you breathe out

Stay here breathing for 4 or 5 breaths and then carry on doing whatever you were doing….

Try and have enough stickers in a range of places around home and work that will remind you to stop, pause and focus on your breath for a couple of minutes about 3 or 4 times a day – your mind and body will love you for it….

At night if you are having trouble getting to sleep, place your hands on your belly and feel the movement of the breath under your hands.

You will be amazed how much a regular conscious breathing practice can help your mental and physical health. It doesn’t have to be long and complicated – contact me directly so I can help you improve your wellbeing for 2023  charlotte@sagepractices.co.nz