THE POWER OF CONNECTED BREATHING

We have all been given the most amazing tool that we carry with us where ever we go. This tool has the ability to connect us and move us through so many varied emotions that most do their best to disconnect from, merely buiding up an inner warehouse of resentment, fear, anxiety, sadness and all of this turns in to a constant level of stress. The unfortunate aspect of this is, most people live in a constant stress state and it is so normal to them, they do not even recognize it until it is like a stress volcano.

This level of constant suppression and inner agitation becomes very toxic to the body and to the mind. It is all so unnecesary.

Did you know that you carry around with you a powerful tool that can help you to move through your emotions and stresses and alleviate you of the tension that builds up in the body, before it gets stored? It is called breathing.

Most believe that they are breathing and yes we all are. Most however are breathing to the bare minimum, just enough to keep themselves alive, however not deeply enough to keep themselves connected and rejuvinated. If you obseve most people and possibly even yourself, you might see that many are doing shallow breathing. Taking a breath when absolutely needed and only breathing in to the chest. When many become emotional or hurt, they almost hold their breath until it is absolutely required to breathe and again, only in to the chest.

The emotional energy is in the lower centres of our bodies and by shallow breathing, it is merely like dipping your toe in to the surface of the water and stating that you have been for a swim. No, you have not. Well, by not breathing in deeply to the lower body, you are only dipping yourself in to the surface of your feelings and not emersing yourself in and swimming to the other side. So, the energy has nowhere to go but to swirl around and around and around like a whirlpool. What the energy needs to do is to flow up and out. Be released.

Connected breath is taking in a nice, long, slow, deep breath, in through the nose. Holding that breath down at the base of the spine for a moment and then releasing it through the mouth. Not with pursed lips though, you will need to drop the jaw and allow the breath to fully release itself. If you purse your lips, that is a form of control. Women giving birth use the pursed lip technique to control. Connected breathing is about drawing in a positive breath and then drawing it down and connecting in to the energy and then drawing it up and out. This keeps you in touch with your self and your body, your feelings and also helps you to lift up and out any negative emotions or feelings.

Say for example you are in a meeting and someone says something that really irritates and angers you. You can feel the jaw locking up and the tension in the shoulders and chest. If you utilize your connected breathing technique you can move through the bodies reactive response and usually very quickly. If you are having a reactive response to anything, locate in the body where you feel it and breathe in to it and breathe it out from the body. Allow it to lift. By doing this you are acknowledging what you feel. This only takes a second, you are connecting, not denying the feeling and reaction and doing something proactive with it. You are destressing the system and therefore energizing it as well as keeping a clarity of mind to allow insight to emerge.

You do not have to keep the reaction in the body for you to be able to reflect upon your feelings. Why not move throug the feelings, bypass the stress response and then if you feel the need too, reflect with a clearer mind/body? Or, do you like the drama?

You do not need to be experiencing a negative reaction to utilize the power of connected breathing. In fact I suggest you integrate it in to your life, everyday. Make certain that you are taking in deep connected breaths as often as you can.

Usually when we experience an emotional and physical reaction to something or someone, it is because it has triggered an old memory in the body. You do not need to analyze it with your mind, this sometimes takes you away from it. Try connected breathing. Sometimes as you connected breathe in to something, the blocked feeling or tension in the body moves through the body, keep breathing in to the block with the intent that you are breathing it out and eventually it will lift.

A simple, yet powerful tool and one that you have with you at all times!