Are You Breathing Right?

We all breathe - of course - that’s what keeps us alive. However, the majority of us never stop to give breathing a second thought, its just there. There is a right way and wrong way to breathe and it has an astonishing affect on our health and overall well being, if we breathe the correct way. Breath awareness or conscious breathing can make us feel happier, healthier and more in control over our bodies and life and anyone can start benefiting from using it.

Conscious breathing is all about being more aware of your body sensations. Since we all have to breathe continually we are able to practice conscious breathing during every waking moment of our lives until it becomes the norm.
Learning how to breathe consciously

Learning how to breathe consciously is not hard; in essence it is nothing more than being aware of the breath entering your body through your nose and the sensations of it leaving your body through your mouth. One important point to note when making the transition to conscious breathing is that you shouldn’t make any changes to your breathing.

When first starting out don’t think about slowing the breathing down or speeding it up, the whole idea is to be aware of your breathing, this is all at this time. Staying relaxed and learning how to focus on your breathing is the most important thing at this stage, once you have learned to be comfortable and are consciously breathing as a normal reaction you can then delve deeper into conscious breathing and its effects.

This is the basis behind breathing this natural way and occurs differently in all people. For example you might feel more natural and relaxed if you focus on the sensations you feel in your nostrils as you breathe air in through them. Others might concentrate more on the feelings and sensations of the rise and fall of the rib cage and abdomen. Focus on the one that feels right or comfortable for you.

Build your focus

For those who have trouble focusing on anything for any length of time then the sensations felt around the nostrils and upper lip might be better. These sensations are only small and subtle and so require greater focus, which can help to keep the mind on the task at hand. For those who can focus relatively easy then choosing to watch and feel the movements in the abdomen might be more satisfying.
Having an overall awareness of breathing gives us a backdrop to our everyday life and allows us to practice conscious breathing no matter where we are or what we are doing. Of course your focus can shift depending on what you are doing as the whole process should feel natural at all times.

Conscious breathing is a powerful tool that we all carry with us in our day-to-day life and can be used continually in all situations. It is a natural way to center yourself and find peace and harmony in yourself while also bringing about health benefits.