Breathing exercises can feel...honestly kinda useless.
I used to hate people who said to me, “Just take a breath”. Oooh. Ma'am, that made me pissed.
It felt so patronizing and condescending to have people tell me to "just breathe."
Cool. Cause I've never thought of that before. Rude. *eyeroll*.
Sometimes, I wanted to be like, "great idea bro! I'll add that super useful tip to the list of other things that never work. Can you not see that I'm kind of dealing with something over here?"
But Yes. Yes they could see it.
Everyone could.
And they were right. I needed to breathe.
“But I AM breathing and it’s not working!” is what I'd say to those people.
And that's what all my client's say to me.
So, Yes! I know You are breathing! You for sure are. Because you wouldn’t still be alive if you weren’t breathing.
And yes, you are right! It’s not working!
Because you haven’t learned how to tune into your breath yet.
Let me show you you.
Tuning into your breath is insanely helpful. It alleviates stress and anxiety, and it makes it easier to maintain your balance and your self attunement during moments when you need to be an adult (and keep your job and stay out of prison).
Steps for breathing to calm anxiety:
1) Start with sitting comfortably. Try to put both feet solidly on the floor for the first couple times.
2) Take one hand and put it over your belly. Support her! Hold her close like you’ve got her back.
3) Take your other hand, and put it on your chest, over your heart. I recommend right hand on your heart, but that’s my personal preference.
4) If you’re comfortable with it, close your eyes. If you don’t want to close your eyes, gaze softly at something about a foot in front of your face.
5) Inhale through your nose. Your tummy should expand, and your chest should rise but your shoulders will stay in the same place. If your mouth is open, it would make the sound “ohhhh” as if you just heard some juicy gossip that took your breath away.
6) Hold your breath and count to four. One, Two, Three, Four.
7) Exhale. Your tummy will contract slightly, and your chest should fall. Your exhale needs to be longer than your inhale, that’s where the magic is. So count to 6. One, two…etc.
8) When you have exhaled, ask yourself, “what do you need? How can I help you?”
9) Your body may not speak up at first, but if she does, she’ll tell you. You’ll know it in your gut, or sometimes in your chest, what the right answer is.
10) Say thank you. Your body has just given you a gift. This breathing is something you can return to whenever you feel like it. You don’t need any special circumstance to talk to your body. This is called a “heart practice.”
Journal after breathing for added relief.
I’ve included some journal prompts for you to reflect on your heart practice in case she has anything special to say to you today.
Hello Self. How can I help you today?
What do you need me to know today?
What do you need from me today?
Remember – SAY THANK YOU to yourself for showing up today.
You are treasured and you deserve this space.
Meg Gregg
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