Perhaps you read the title and you’re thinking: BREATHING? Of COURSE, I’m breathing!
But there’s breathing and then there’s breathing. 🙂
We breathe automatically during our whole life, that’s true.
However, you can also use your breath as a means to calm down, as meditation, to become more peaceful and…
by breathing you can relax ALL of the muscles around your rib cage, shoulders and abdomen!
Do you have muscle pain on your chest, back or anywhere around your ribs and shoulders? By breathing deeply and thoughtfully, you can actually move and stretch those muscles.
You can help normalize the muscles around your torso by simply breathing!
How?
I prefer to lie flat on my back but you may also do this sitting in a supported, relatively straight position.
Place one hand on your breastbone or upper chest.
Place the other hand on your belly.
Breathe.
Does your chest raise when your breathe? Or does your belly raise?
Or both?
Practice breathing in and out and feel the movement in your chest and abdomen.
If there’s not much movement in one, see if you can cause it to rise and fall, rise and fall.
With each inspiration (each breath in) feel the movement.
With each exhalation, feel the movement.
By paying attention to the movement of your breath, you’re allowing all of the muscles around your torso to relax and your thoughts to relax.
You can practice this for several minutes at a time, whenever you like.
And, especially, do this when you need to give yourself a pleasant, peaceful break.
So…have you been breathing lately?
