Just Breathe

Just Breathe

This past Thursday I had a guest on the podcast, Ben Beaumont, a breathwork facilitator, who re-inspired me about the breath. His episode will be coming soon so keep an eye out for it!

I say re-inspire because I already use breathwork a lot in my life and it all started last January when my body started going through changes. Perimenopause. I experienced an extreme high in my blood pressure which can be pretty common when your hormones go a little wonky. 

What I learned after going to the cardiologist and having every test done under the sun is that I’m very healthy and there is no reason, associated with my heart, that should cause high blood pressure. So, what was it? 

It was that pesky stress & anxiety!

It always comes back to haunt me. When your hormones get a little wonky, when you’re in perimenopause, we do have the tendency to get more stressed and anxious. 

I was lucky enough to have a doc that was willing to help me not take blood pressure meds. He told me if I could learn how to control my stress and anxiety, I could get off the meds. So this was my goal. And I did it!

Some of you might have remembered this when I started trying every healing modality to see what would work for me and I was sharing it on the blog and podcast. 

This is very important, trying different things to solve your personal health issues. We are  all different so what works for one person doesn’t always work for another.

Breathwork did it for me and it did it instantaneously! 

It is something that I have to keep doing and add to my daily practices to support my health. That and many other adjustments I had to make, like work and personal boundaries, removing from my life all that causes the stress in the first place and then having the practices on hard to handle the things we have no control over. 

Being free of medicine, and the medical system is so important to me so I worked on this and still am every day. Just because I teach this does not mean for a second that I’m perfect. Far from it!

This has led me to become a certified breathwork instructor and every time I dive back into learning more, I realize I'm just at the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to learn. 

I plan on expanding my education so that I can also share more of this powerful healing practice. 

You cannot just help yourself relax and reduce stress and anxiety, you can also energize yourself, you can ground yourself, you can help expand your lungs. There are so many things!

Today I want to share with you just one way I use breathwork. The type, and when and why I use it. 

It’s called box breathing and I’m sure a lot of you have maybe heard of this. Stick around though because I want to share how I get really intentional with this practice. 

Box breathing is used by Navy Seals to instill calm during chaotic situations, maybe even life or death situations. This works for my brain because if a Navel Seal can use this in such an intense situation then of course it will work for me. 

It also works for me because I’m counting which helps remove me from the situation and keeps me in my body and calm.

So, here is how I do box breathing intentionally. 

You will breathe in through your nose for a count of four. When you breathe in, I want you to imagine expanding your rib cage in your back. When you do this, you expand your diaphragm and stimulate your Vagus nerve. This tells your body it's okay to go from fight and flight to rest and digest and safe. 

Then you will hold at the top for a count of four.

Next you will exhale through the mouth for four counts, and I do this in two different ways depending on the outcome I want. I can open my mouth as if I’m trying to fog up a mirror. Doing it this way helps me release from my day and relax. It’s a letting go sensation. Or you can breathe out through your mouth as if you're blowing out a candle with your lips pursed like you're going to whistle. Doing it this way really helps with some intense stress and anxiety. 

Last you hold at the bottom for a count of four. 

So, you breathe in for four, hold at the top for four, breathe out for four, and hold at the bottom for four. Then I do this for a minimum of four counts but can be up to 10 to really feel the effects. 

I use this to simmer down from a busy day before bed or from an exciting situation. A release. Or, I use this to release stress and anxiety in an intense situation. For me, it’s good for both. 

What I love about breathwork is that you can do it anywhere, it’s free, and it is scientifically proven to help. Sometimes I need that proof to get me started. I just works!

Next month, or quite possibly in June, I’ll be doing a workshop in the Soul Aligned Self Care Insiders VIP, a group where you can follow along for free to get weekly self care practices among other things. Or you can join the VIP Insiders and get meditations and workshops like this! You can check it out >>>HERE<<<

Until then, I encourage you to start with the simple practice of box breathing. Try using it in different situations. Whether you're in a stress response or you just need to get focused and calm. 

Be sure to tune into the podcast where I’ll talk more about this practice!

Don't forget to read the P.S. Below:)

Lots of love and care,

Xo, T

P.S. As some of you know I have another company where I create skin care infused with self care, Soul Aligned Infusions. 

Here I sell essential oil rollers that help your anchor in a certain feeling or vibe. I call them vibe rollers. 

There is the Just Breathe Roller to create calm and the Love Vibe Roller to create a place of love for yourself. More is coming soon!

When you purchase these rollers, you get access to a free resource website that shares with you different practices to help you go from chaos to calm. You can see the products HERE and check out the Free Resource Website HERE.