A simple breathing exercise to activate your parasympathetic nervous system.
Something that is so natural, that many struggle with.
Have you ever had someone say to you "Just Breathe" in a time of stress? Or you cant seem to 'catch' your breath?.... Frustrating right?? But why is it so hard to catch your breath; to slow down; to calm down; to settle down? It's simple; we are not taught how to slow our breathing down, to acknowledge that we may be in a flight, fight or freeze state, we just keep going, and going, going & going.
So in this blog I will be teaching you a simple breathing exercise that will allow you to take a moment to check in with yourself and your breathing. To connect with yourself and slow the breath down to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, (A calm, relaxed state)
This is called '4x4 Breathing'
How to:
-Close your eyes and pay attention to your chest, back, stomach & shoulders. Do they feel tight? Do you have any discomfort in any of these areas? -Now take a deep breathe in for the count of 4 seconds -Hold the inhale for 4 seconds -Exhale for 4 seconds -Hold for 4 seconds REPEAT this 4 times. It's ok if you don't reach the 4 seconds to begin with but be kind to yourself and keep trying. Check in with yourself at the end of this exercise and ask yourself; How do my shoulders feel? How does my stomach feel? How does my back feel? How does my chest feel? For a deeper sense of relaxation keep going with the 4x4 breathing until you experience a full body state of relaxation.
Enjoy
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