Belly Breaths

"Start where you are, come back to your breath."

Have you taken your belly breaths today? Hopefully, you've remembered to practice belly breathing throughout the day. If not, here's a simple way to center and nourish yourself, relieve stress, and be in your body:

I promise, you can apply deep belly breathing wherever you are: working on a business deadline, feeding the kids, sitting on your mat, huffing and puffing through a traffic jam, etc. Remember this ~ "Start where you are, come back to your breath."



Relax your face, jaw, neck and shoulders. Lift the area behind your heart to lift your spine and give your lungs plenty of room to expand. Inhale a slow breath, and let it travel all the way down to your belly. Feel your belly expand. Exhale, and gently pull your belly button toward your spine as if you're squeezing out excess air. Repeat, and always remember to come back to your breath.

You can continue the inhale/exhale cycle, or there are plenty of variations to intensify the deep belly breathing. Another simple exercise is to inhale, hold the breath for three counts, then exhale and hold the breath for three counts. That's a safe way to safely deepen your belly breathing practice. For more exercises, feel free to contact me, or seek the advice from a qualified/experienced teacher.

Cheers to breathing!