When in doubt, do this

When in doubt take it back to the basics… bring your awareness to your breath. 

BUT, the key is to first practice when you aren’t in distress. This is important for two reasons: 

1. When you practice diaphragmatic breathing regularly (ideally, daily), you engage your parasympathetic nervous system which stimulates your ability to rest and digest. Over time, you strengthen and calm your nervous system so that you can bring yourself out of flight or fight mode (sympathetic nervous system) and into rest and digest more quickly. 
2. When you “try” to breathe only when you’re in distress, it can be difficult to access your breath because you’re out of practice. You may end up breathing deeply in your chest creating a heightened sense of panic and a feeling of hyperventilation. In addition, when you think BREATHE!! when you’re in distress it can create this conditioned response where you immediately have alarm bells going off that you’re in crisis (oh sh!t, I need to calm down!!). This response escalates your experience of the situation rather than calms you. 

You breathe all day every day, but how you breathe matters. It’s why we take so much time with it when we teach, both here and in classes. When you breathe long and deep, bringing the breath all the way down, feeling your belly move, that’s when you can use it to support you through challenges, emotional distress, working with your spiritual hungers, or in your weekly calendaring. The way you breathe can influence how those around you are breathing so you can even use it while you’re holding space for someone else, having a disagreement, or witnessing a conflict.

In our free mini-course The 4 Pillars to Good Health, you’ll learn more about your nervous system and why it’s important to focus on the hows and whys around breathing, eating, sound and movement (the 4 Pillars). Download the course here, and take this week to focus on Module 1: Breathing. You’ll learn two simple breath practices in this module, choose one to add to your calendar and your daily practice. 

It all starts with the breath 💕. 

Hugs and love,
Jodh