On Letting Go: Breathe!
One of my favorite passion projects is called Your Journey to Healing, a resource in which I provide accessible and interactive tips to manage your holistic wellness & emotional health, from A to Z. Your Journey to Healing explores the ideas of acceptance and breathing as staples to healing your inner world.
Personally, a particular memory I hold dear to my heart is the first yoga class I took in 2011. As I watched the seemingly-confident women around me, sitting in criss-cross applesauce position at the top of their mats, I dreamed of being one of the hippie ladies with curly hair and a tattoo of a lotus or peace sign on her ankle. Why? Yoga was, and continues to be, such a meaningful practice, not just for myself, but for today’s digital age.
The body unconsciously holds on to trauma, memories, and pain. Yoga is rooted in the idea of linking movement with breath. In practicing conscious breathing aligned with physical movement, we’re provided new energy for the body and brain. With a conscious inhale, we expand to new possibilities for our physical bodies and our unique spirits. I know that for some people, this may seem really woo-woo and downright weird. But the truth is, regardless of your personal beliefs or practices, a regular deep breathing practice is scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, improve your overall health, and immediately help in getting your body out of a state of panic.
Let’s fast forward to several years after my first yoga class in 2011. The year is 2024, and I have 10+ years of experience working with youth, from ages 4 to 21. I’ve worked with children that experience all sorts of stressors, from facial differences, to generalized anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and oppositional defiant disorder.
Something remarkable in working with the younger kids is witnessing firsthand how open most young children are to rhythmic deep breathing exercises. Throughout my career, I’m grateful to have shared fun experiences of teaching young children to practice deep breathing exercises as a skill to solve all sorts of dilemmas such as: how to calm down, how to avoid conflict or physical fights, and how to Stop Think and Choose the right decision in school settings. Together, we’ve blown bubbles, read imaginative books on coping with fear, played fun games, and enjoyed silly Animal Yoga poses, to name a few.
Some really useful breathing exercises that have helped myself and others cope with the hardest moments of life include:
Square Breathing: Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, breathe out through your mouth for 4 sconds, and hold for 4 seconds. Repeat this. There are 4 sides to this exercise. Practice for 1-5 minutes in the morning and/or at night.
4-4-8 Breathing: Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat for 1-5 minutes daily.
Intentional Breathing: Breathe in deeply through your nose. Hold for 1-3 seconds and remind yourself of a meaningful and intentional focus or word, such as: Hope, Peace, Balance, Family, Connection, Prosperity, Intuition, Brightness. Then, slowly release the breath through the mouth, and as you breathe out, imagine releasing what’s getting in the way.
Color Breathing: Close your eyes. Choose a color that makes you feel happy, peaceful, or calm. On the breath in, imagine breathing in your favorite color. Fill yourself with this color, from head to toe. When you breathe out, imagine releasing and sending that color out to the space around you.
Remember that if you’re alive, the process of breathing is always happening, even when you don’t realize it. Wherever you go, there you are. Intentional breathing is accessible, whenever and wherever. It’s important to practice deep breathing exercises consistently, in order to see results and for the technique to become more natural. This is similar to physical exercises at the gym. Start with 1 minute per day, then increase the time to 2 minutes, and next, continue to increase the time as you want, or just keep it at 2-3 minutes daily. These small moments absolutely can and will shift your attitude as well as aid in releasing stress. Allow yourself space to fully inhale, pause in between, and slowly, deeply exhale. It provides you the opportunity to fully let go and tap in. Without giving yourself this space to release frustration, the stress can stay stuck in your physical body and emotional spirit. And we don’t want that, now!
