Breathing – the key to power over emotions and thoughts.

Breathing is what connects the inside with the outside, it is a continuous movement as long as your body is alive.

Air comes in, life comes in, air goes out, life goes out.

It happens alone. We have no conscience, it is automatic.

Breathing is linked to our emotional states. When we are relaxed it is calm, broad and lower, when we are anxious it is shorter, faster and higher in the lungs. With every feeling and emotion it changes, but you don't even realize it. We are not in the habit of perceiving our body.

Close your eyes and notice how you are breathing, how fast are you breathing?

What part of the lung do you use? On top, in the middle or below?

How much air are you putting in your lungs?

Notice and don't change anything. Just notice.

This is the first step, PERCEIVE the breath. Don't judge, or criticize yourself, just notice.

Now notice what kind of emotion and/or feeling are you having?

Your breath is a reflection of your emotions.

Did you know that you can change your emotions through breathing?

Our body is fantastic and we can use it to change emotions and one of the ways, perhaps the most powerful, is breathing. And for that I will present some simple exercises, called PRANAYAMAS that come from YOGA.

Prana is vital energy, and Ayama means expansion. Pranayama is mastery and expansion of vital energy through the breath and with it we can control this energy, and with that we also control our thoughts and emotions.

If you are feeling: anxiety, fear, anger, worry, your breathing is short and shallow, the air does not reach the bottom of your lungs. To change these feelings, just take a deep, slower breath. Try it now. Take 3 slow, deep breaths.

What did you notice? What has changed in your body? In your emotions? And thoughts?

Now you are calmer, your head more clearly. If you liked it, start using the breath to calm you down, bring mental clarity, this is the beginning of the domain of emotions.

Let's delve a little deeper, for you to empower yourself more.

full breath

You can do it lying down or sitting. Just notice how you are breathing.

Place your hands on the upper part of your chest, and fill it with air, and then deflate. Breathe like this about 10 times. This way of breathing you know well, it is short and in the upper part of the lungs. The lung is not fully filled. You breathe like this when you are anxious, nervous, afraid, worried. As the lung is not very filled, there is not good oxygenation of the brain and body.

Bring your hands to your ribs. Put your hands on your abdomen, your belly and breathe taking the air in that region, fill your lungs so that your belly grows and gets big. Then empty it completely. Repeat about 10 times. That's low breathing, it's abdominal. The baby breathes like this when he sleeps. It's very relaxing.