Hey guys! I have a fun breathing exercise that I want you try. I know what you’re probably thinking, “A breathing exercise? Whatever for?”
Well, because we all could use some time to really make sure that we are in balance with everything we do. That means being in balance with ourselves and our jobs, school, health, extracurricular activities, and whatever else you may have going on in your life. When we have balance in our lives across the board, we set ourselves up not only for success, but for an overall happier experience in our daily lives. When we are out of balance in one area, believe it or not but that can set the tone for how we greet each day.
It was once said to me, “how we do one thing is how we do everything.” It’s so damn good I’m going to repeat it just for you (and myself 😊)
How we do ONE thing is how we do EVERYTHING.
That means wherever we are choosing to half-ass our efforts and abilities in life, is more than likely going to reflect in other areas in our lives. The areas we choose to give it our all, will show greatly in all areas of our life. So balance is very important! Not only for consistency, but also for your own personal commitment to make the most out of your life.
So, without further a-do, here is a breathing exercise that one of our fabulous readers shared with me the other day, and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you all!
A Breathing Exercise
“Taken and modified from the Tonglon practice in Buddhism. I learned this from Pema Chodron.” -Erica, our fabulous reader!
Use this technique whenever you are experiencing worry, frustration, anxiousness or any type of fear-based or uncomfortable thinking.
Breathe IN the fear (whatever form is presenting in the moment).
Breathe the feeling IN as deeply and fully as you can without the storyline that goes with it.
Breathe totally in from your hips to your shoulders, FILL your body with your inhalation.
This does 2 things:
- It oxygenates the body – takes it from shallow, rapid, flight or fight breaths to deep and slow. Your physical body shifts from fear response to relaxation. It also calms the mind.
- As you fully breathe in, it sends a powerful message to the body that, “I can handle this. I am bigger than this fear. I have taken it in and it has not overtaken me.” It is very empowering!
Then totally Breathe OUT what you desire to experience: love, peace of mind, guidance, etc.
Repeat this as many times as you wish.
Follow this by Breathing IN the same fear-based, uncomfortable feeling for those around the world who are experiencing it: parents worried about kids, depressed veterans, those with a serious diagnosis, in financial crisis, afraid, in danger, divorcing, bullied kids, homeless, abused, exhausted…
Breathe the feeling all the way IN, then…
Breathe OUT fully what you desire for them: peace of mind, strength, love, guidance, joy, etc.
The second part helps put things in perspective – that I am not the only one feeling these things. And that others have pain, too.
Remembering THAT helps to uplift everyone, and in my mind, reminds me we are all one.
I love this breathing exercise guys! I actually did it a couple of times the other day and I can honestly say that I felt a sense of hope created within me. I’ve had a lot going on in my life lately, a lot of changes, a lot of financial bumps, employment issues, and so much more. All these issues have been piling up on top of one another these past couple of months, and they just seem to get worse day by day.
However, after doing this breathing exercise I realized something…my life is out of balance. I’m trying to juggle 1,000 different things and I’m not doing too good of a job paying attention to the areas in my life where demands are overlapping. I’m giving my all to the areas in my life where it means the most to me, and I’m half-assing the areas in my life where I’m only participating because as of right now in my life it’s essential.
It’s not fair! It’s not fair to my health, my family, my friends, my co-workers, my classmates, and even to you my readers, because that imbalance impacts EVERY corner of my life in some way! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a direct impact, and it doesn’t have to be a big one. But when I choose to pick up an extra shift at work because the Lord knows I need the money, and I follow through with my commitment to workout early the next morning, I’m compromising that commitment.
How? Well it’s simple. I’ve worked an overnight shift on my day off because my job needed the help and I needed the money, but I really want to keep my personal health a priority so I workout the next morning, but I’m not giving it my all. Yes, I’m still doing the workout and that’s all that should matter, but the truth is that it’s not. I’ve compromised my commitment by allowing myself to slack off in the workout, or “cheat” my workout by not doing every move efficiently in order to get the best results. That compromise has come from the imbalance I have in my work-life and my health-life.
So, to prevent this from happening as often as I possibly can in the near future, I’m going to be more aware of how much balance I am allowing in my life. I’m going to do that by participating in this breathing activity at least once every day, and I encourage you all to do the same!
If you would like to have this breathing exercise on hand, feel free to download it here! Don’t worry it’s completely free 😊.
Let me know if you do this exercise, and if you did how it made you feel. Also, share this with someone.
A peace of mind is a beautiful thing.
-Xo
Kimora