Do you know one of the best tools you can have in your back pocket? For dealing with everyday stress and tension, or with episodes of pain and discomfort, there’s nothing better. It is Abdominal Breathing! It even helps tremendously to counteract garden-variety impatience and irritation.
When you are in pain, or when you are worried, tense, or anxious, your nervous system automatically generates the stress response. This is the ‘fight / flight / freeze’ effect –to protect you from further harm and danger. Or to mobilize you to ACT! To fight or flee. Once your stress response has started, it often makes the situation worse by increasing the physical tension or pain. Which increases the stress. Which increases the pain. You can see where it is going.
The stress process can be slowed down or reversed however. The nervous system can become relaxed again if you give it support. Even if the pain or mental tension is not completely relieved The cliché statement, ”just take a deep breath” has a real, biological basis and reliable results.
How to do it:
Rest your hands on your stomach in a seated or lying position. As you inhale, allow the abdomen to relax, expand and reach toward your hands. As you exhale, squeeze your abdomen muscles moderately and pull your navel toward the spine. If you are used to tightening your abdomen on inhale, you may find this a little challenging. Be patient and make sure you are not straining or tensing to create the movements.
Slow down your breaths gradually. Emphasize lengthening your exhalations, in order to activate the relaxing efforts of your breathing practice. Practice abdominal breathing five or ten minutes when you can. If you only have three minutes, it will still make a positive impact. Especially if you practice this consistently over time, your nervous system will ‘learn’ to quickly relax and release tension.
How to do it:
Rest your hands on your stomach in a seated or lying position. As you inhale, allow the abdomen to relax, expand and reach toward your hands. As you exhale, squeeze your abdomen muscles moderately and pull your navel toward the spine. If you are used to tightening your abdomen on inhale, you may find this a little challenging. Be patient and make sure you are not straining or tensing to create the movements.
Slow down your breaths gradually. Emphasize lengthening your exhalations, in order to activate the relaxing efforts of your breathing practice. Practice abdominal breathing five or ten minutes when you can. If you only have three minutes, it will still make a positive impact. Especially if you practice this consistently over time, your nervous system will ‘learn’ to quickly relax and release tension.