The benefits of deep breathing for reducing stress, anxiety and so much more!

I often talk about the importance of deep breathing. How slowing down your breath and focusing on your breathing can have such a phenomenal affect on our overall health and well-being.

You may be thinking, we all breath all day, everyday so what exactly is the difference between regular breathing and deep breathing?

Most of us are shallow breathers. What does this mean? It means that when we breath we are actually only engaging 1/3 of our lungs. We breathing into the top/ chest section of our lungs rather than all the way down into our abdomen.

Now why is this bad? Well first of all our lungs are one of our organs of elimination and each time we breathe out we expel stale air and toxins. If we don’t breath all the way to the bottom of our lungs then there is stale air stagnating there that is never being expelled.

Also we are not flooding our body with as much oxygen as possible. The more oxygen we inhale, the more it can cleanse our blood and flood to our organs. This in turn helps all our organs function better, helps us with concentration and focus and is so beneficial for relaxation too.

Some of the benefits of deep breathing?

·       It makes you calmer and more relaxed.

·       Helps the body detoxify.

·       Can help relieve pain.

·       Boosts mood

·       Improves posture.

·       Stimulated the lymphatic system.

·       Increases cardiovascular system.

·       Gives you energy.

·       Improves digestion.

·       Strengthens major organs.

·       Helps regulate weight.

·       According to yogic philosophy it helps to extend your life, as it is believed that we are born with a certain number of breaths and once we have completed these breaths our time is up. So by slowing down your breathing you can extend your life.

If you want to improve any of the areas of your health listened above then I want you to try something. For the next week spend 4 minutes a day practicing deep breathing. Two minutes upon waking and 2 before going to sleep. No matter how busy your life is you have time for 2 minutes upon waking and 2 before you go to sleep. No excuses!

You can click on the link to watch my demonstration of how to take a proper deep breath: http://dionne-healthnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/deep-breathing-vlog.html

At the end of the week comment on how the deep breathing made you feel? Did you sleep any differently? Was your energy improved? Did you feel less anxious? Any other changes noticed?

I would love to hear how you found the experience. Continuing this ritual for 30 days will help you ingrain this type of breath into your daily life. Make it a daily habit :)

Three night time tips to help you get a good night’s sleep

I cannot begin to express how many of my clients have issues when it comes to sleep. Nearly every person I speak to has some difficulty whether it is falling asleep, staying asleep or waking feeling like adequate sleep was not achieved. There is so much that can be done to improve sleeping habits and sometimes the simplest change can make a huge difference. Here are 3 of the most important habits to get in to if you want a restful and refreshing night’s sleep.

1.       Turn off electronic appliances such as computers, TV and mobile phones at least 30 minutes before bed. These all stimulate the brain making you all wired so that falling asleep and staying asleep is near impossible.

2.       Do something you find relaxing such as taking a bath, writing in a journal or doing some deep breathing or meditation before bed to help you wind down. Make this a nightly ritual so your body knows it’s time to go to sleep after this task has been performed.

3.       Make sure your room is conducive to a good night’s sleep. Reduce noise, reduce light, maximise comfort and have a comfortable temperature.

You can also start your day with a quick in bed meditation to help you feel energised and take on the day!