Have you ever heard of mindfulness? Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Start focusing on your breathing and be gentle. Do not force anything and stay focused on your breathing. That is the hold of Mindfulness. This article will drive you into the journey towards inner calmness through Mindfulness breathing.
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Basics of Mindfulness Breathing
In a hustle and bustle world, where we don’t even remember what we had for breakfast in the morning, the contrasting practice that allows you to be there in the moment completely is Mindfulness. Mindfulness can be described as the awareness or focusing on one’s internal thoughts and environment. It is the process of openly attending the present moment experience and grounds about attention and awareness. It should involve three aspects of mindfulness breathing which are: Intention, Attention, and Attitude.
Historical Roots of Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be traced back to around 2500 years old Buddhist teachings. Buddhism encompasses a journey towards enlightenment- which includes attention, awareness, and being with the present. Mindfulness has its name translated from the ancient language Pali. The word mindfulness came into existence in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids, a British magistrate. Mindfulness drove its way from the East to the West during the late 1970s. It first was brought to the United States by John Kabat Zinn, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Read More: 9 Key Teachings of Budhha that will help you gain Inner peace
Mindfulness Breathing
Mindfulness breathing is a concept that involves slowing down oneself and bringing awareness to your breathing. Mindfulness and breathing connection provide individuals with a sense of experience that makes them aware of and live each moment as fully as possible. Breathing is a force that gives us life without which there is no life as well.
How are Mindfulness and the brain connected?
Mindfulness and its associated techniques have been the focus of study for providing interventions. It has been found through research that the constant practice of mindfulness breathing has multiple effects on the brain. The key ways include:
- Attention- the research study has found that the brain correlates with enhanced attention in the brain. The research was done with healthy adults over the age of 60.
- Mindful breathing tends to promote autonomic changes.
- Recent research has found that mindfulness breathing has the potential to reorganize and form new neural connections called Neuroplasticity.
- Has the potential to make profound alterations in the brain region called the Amygdala- the one called the seat of emotions. The practice of Mindfulness breathing can reduce the stimulation in the amygdala region causing less stress and would enable proper emotional regulation.
- Mindfulness breathing can enhance memory as it involves attention and awareness.
Effects of Mindfulness Breathing
The continuous practice of Mindfulness breathing has the potential to improve health in multiple ways:
- Mindfulness breathing tends to treat many physical ailments. It has been found that mindfulness breathing has the potential to alleviate chronic pain symptoms.
- Mindfulness has the potential impact of boosting immunity levels and also reducing certain symptoms of disease and other illnesses.
- Burnout is the occupational term that results from chronic work stress. Mindfulness has been found as one of the effective measures for combating Burnout.
- Gratitude is the concept that is otherwise called Thanksgiving. It is the gracious way of appreciation for something that an individual receives or has received. Gratitude has the potential to increase positive emotions while reducing or decreasing the negative emotions or experiences that an individual has gone through.
Mindfulness Breathing in our daily lives
There are so many easy techniques with which we can incorporate Mindfulness breathing in our everyday lives. Some of the many techniques include
Simple Meditation
Just a simple state of being in a calm environment, start your breath. Begin with the slow inhalation and then exhale. Focus on how your breath travels from the nostrils to the diaphragm and from the diaphragm to the environment. Once this fits in, start your focus on the sensations – notice the slight changes in your body and then on the other sensations like sounds, smell etc. When you feel that your concentration is getting drifted away, calm down and refocus on your breath.
Read More: Mantra Meditation: A guide to Inner peace and Tranquility
Open Awareness
This a research-based technique that you would practice while performing a task. When doing a task like eating, gardening, or reading a book, you may have to focus on the major physical and emotional sensations happening throughout your body. Inhale and fill your lungs with oxygen and exhale the carbon dioxide from the body. Do the task gently. Allow the thoughts and emotions that come along. Do not force anything. Whenever you feel like you are wandering away from the task or thoughts, make sure you focus on your breath. And, do only one task at a time.
Body Awareness
Body awareness can simply be defined as the process of paying attention to the internal body. This could also be processed as having a conscious awareness of introspective and proprioceptive experiences. This includes all the details of what’s happening in our senses inclusive of the minute happenings, emotions, urges and motivations.
4-7-8 Breathing
This technique involves inhalation gently for a count of 4, holding through the breath for about a count of 7 and exhaling your breath completely through your mouth for a count of 8. This technique effectively helps in calming down the whole body and it can be performed anywhere anytime.
Square Breathing
A breathing technique that is a modification of the 4-7-8 breathing technique. This involves inhalation for a count of 4, holding on to a count of 4 and exhalation completely for a count of 4. Before you start the next inhalation, pause for a count of 4 and then proceed. This methodology is otherwise called box breathing. It can be used widely during stressful times.
Read more: Walking Meditation Unveiled: A Pathway to Holistic Well-Being
Breathing is like living your life. Incorporating breathing or becoming aware of what’s happening throughout the process of your breathing can heal you and help you with the enhancement. A simple technique can significantly help you with many stressors of life. These simple steps can contribute to the process of calmness and peace in your body and mind.
References +
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/evoking-calm-practicing-mindfulness-in-daily-life-helps-202110142617
- https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/2/175#B12-brainsci-11-00175
