Mindful May
- infostillworks
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Breathe My Friend - a short blog & meditation
Why all the focus on breathing?
We often use breath meditations in mindfulness as we can only breathe in the present moment, so it reconnects us with the present. This helps to reduce mind wandering, when the mind keeps wandering back to the past or jumping ahead to worrying about or imagining the future, and studies show that the more time we stay in the present moment the happier and calmer we feel.
There are other physiological benefits to connecting with the breath as well.
When we breathe with awareness, in other words mindfully, we tend to slow down the rate of breathing. Sometimes this happens automatically, sometimes we choose to do this because we suddenly notice how fast we are breathing. Fast breathing, especially through the mouth, causes the body to switch on the fear centres of the brain and the parts of the nervous system that produce stress hormones. The combination of this puts a strain on the heart and reduces the amount of resources left for other functions such as digestion and fighting off infections.
Fast breathing also encourages us to breathe only with the upper parts of the lungs which leaves the lower areas under used. This leads to less capacity and a greater likelihood of problems like chest infections. People who regularly practice mindful movements such as Qigong, Shibashi, Tai Chi & Yoga, and incorporate breathing practices as part of this, show much less tendency towards breathing problems, especially as they get older.
This month I have recorded a meditation for you which encourages us to breathe with a sense of friendliness towards the breath and towards ourselves. One of the best things we can learn is how to become a good friend to ourselves and we can start by just breathing with the intention to be friendly.
So, this Mindful May, why not try some breathing practices?
Sign up to my website for details of what's going on & invitations to free online meetups, and if you want to try a short practice every day for the month, follow me on Instagram for a daily suggestion throughout May. Have fun, keep experimenting and keep practising!
Here is the link for the meditation:
All the best!
Natalie x
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