Relax your body and mind with breath-work techniques  

Breathing is vital to our survival, yet majority of us don't breathe optimally, especially when we are living in a state of constant stress.

As James Nestor says in his book 'Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art': "No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly".

The role of our breath is to provide the whole body with oxygen, and assist in the regulation of most of our physiological mechanisms, as well as helping to moderate our stress response. It serves as a switch to the autonomic nervous system, influencing the function of the majority of our internal organs, directing them to either work well - parasympathetic - relaxed state, or pause/stop - sympathetic - stressed state, affecting our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, reproduction, hormonal regulation, moods, etc.

Our breathing process is one of the many autonomic body functions, yet the only one that can be consciously controlled, manipulated and trained to benefit our wellbeing with simple breathing exercises. We just need to know how!

Think of your breath as your friend, and nurture it to help you with letting go of any fears, burdens, problems and emotions weighing you down.

Regular breathwork practice will strengthen your ability to breathe optimally, and enhance your overall health.

Diaphragmatic breathing

• Sitting, reclining or lying comfortably 
• Place one hand on your chest, and one hand on your stomach
• Take an inhale through your nose for 6 seconds (count of 6) and observe a still chest, and an expanding belly
• Exhale through your nose for 8 seconds (count of 8), and focus on your diaphragm engaging and helping to push the the air out of your lungs. 

Repeat this breath cycle for 3 minutes. You can start with 4 seconds inhales and 6 seconds exhales, and build up over time to 8/10 ratio. 

NB: Longer exhales signify to the body that it is safe.

Extended exhale/infinity sign breathing 

• Sitting or lying comfortably, imagine an "infinity sign" on your forehead
• In your minds eye, follow the infinity shape while breathing in the following rhythm
• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds (count of 4) as your imaginary crayon draws the sign from mid brow up to hairline
• Starting to exhale through your nose for 7 seconds (count of 7) imagine following the sign from hairline and down across your forehead to the other brow
• Repeat on the other side, and continue drawing the infinity sign with your imaginary crayon smoothly while breathing in the 4/7 pattern 

Repeat this breath cycle for 3 minutes

Counting and breathing (good for busy minds!) 

• Sitting or lying comfortably, start inhaling in for the count of 5 - 1, 2,3,4,5
• Pause a moment, and start exhaling for the count of 5, but count down - 5,4,3,2,1
• Pause, and repeat the breath cycle for 3 minutes. 

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