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"Breathing out the stress"
Holding it in: Are you conscious of your stomach? Do you tend to hold it in? Your body is designed to naturally release stress through your breathing. Unfortunately, most people don't' breathe properly, which prevents the natural release of tension and places the body under unnecessary stress as it tries to operate with less oxygen than it would like.
Quick Test: Place the palm of your hand on your stomach now and breathe in deeply noticing what happens to your belly when you breathe in. Does it go in when you breathe in or does it expand outwards when you breathe in? For most people the stomach goes in when they breathe in, however, breathing properly requires the exact opposite!
For your lungs to expand fully, the diaphram needs to drop causing the stomach to expand outwards. Practice breathing now as you read this, making sure your stomach moves outwards when you breathe in and then inwards when you exhale.
Balance your breathing: Research by the Institute of Heartmath in the US (based upon over 15 years of scientific investigation into stress and the relationship between the heart and brain), have recorded massive benefits from balancing your breathing. They have found breathing in and out for equal amounts of time almost immediately causes what is referred to as “high heart coherence”. Your heart coherence refers to the smoothness of the rhythms of your heart. Smooth rhythms are less stressful for the body; helping it to rest and digest. When balanced breathing is combined with positive thinking and feeling, the benefits have been found to be even greater.
Try it now: Focus your attention on your heart, repeatedly breath in for a count of 5 or 6 seconds (whatever is most comfortable), and then breathe out for the same length of time. Boost the benefits by also thinking about things you love, appreciate and brings you joy. Remember, an oxygenated body and positive mind enjoys improved digestion and detoxification functioning and therefore, weight loss. Doing this simple exercise will help you get yourself out of fight/flight state, enjoy greater peace of mind and has even been scientifically proven to enhance your immune system.
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