After the mind-blowing speech of world-renowned yoga instructor Stacey Schuerman on the TEDx stage, there was a sentence that haunted me;
"Just 5 minutes could change your life."
Yes, those miraculous five minutes you will devote to yourself every day; invites you to refresh, revitalize your body and renew your soul.
Often emphasized in eastern philosophies such as Taoism and Hinduism, breath is the flow that initiates all life, in its simplest definition. Perhaps the breath is so essential and indispensable for life; I sometimes think it makes it difficult for us to notice it in our daily lives.
We all often hear from our immediate surroundings when we feel anxious, "Take a deep breath and…" Actually, this advice is far from being a cliché, it offers an important medical support to our body.
Photograph Classyché.
Research conducted in recent years; regulating breathing, blood pressure and heart rhythm with the correct technique; It reveals that it has a positive touch on our cardiovascular health. On the other hand, regular and controlled breathing practices help us to give a positive direction to our mood by restraining the endless running of the mind.
Many experiences such as meditation, yoga, tai chi today; It offers holistic health to our lives by placing breathing practice at the very center of the process. At this point, the mindful breathing practice that comes into our lives; It combines the breathing exercise that we have known until now one step further, with mindfulness techniques.
In mindful breathing practice known as a type of meditation; all you have to do is watch the flow of the breath by witnessing the moment.
Without deviating from the channels opened by the mind; By recognizing feelings and thoughts, you can take the following steps to bring attention back to your breath without judgment:
1. First, come to a comfortable sitting or lie down in a position you desire.
2. If you are one of those who prefer guidance during meditation, you can open an application you want. Our favorite for mindful breath meditation is the youtube channel The Chopra Well, founded by Deepak Chopra. You can set up your watch for these 5 minutes, or you can choose to terminate it at any time if you have the luxury of time.
3. Now bring all your attention to your nasal breathing. Are your breathing short or long? Is it deep or cut-off? Watch… Experience holding it for a few seconds before breathing out and then slowly letting go.
4. As the breath continues to flow, listen to the sensations in your body. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, trying to feel where you feel the air filling you.
5. Notice what is going on in your mind, during this meditation, it will continue to wander due to its mind structure. Let the feelings and thoughts flow through your mind without judgment and bring your attention back to your breath at any moment.
6. When you complete the meditation; Try to sense the changes and innovations in your body and feelings. Do you feel lighter and calmer? Now just experience being able to stay as it is, with what is.
Brown University Awareness Center Director Professor, who created miraculous changes in the lives of her clients by synthesizing modern science with ancient knowledge in her work. I want to end with the words of Judson Brewer: "Once you take the tip of this anchor, you will always remember that you have the strength to deal with everything that comes your way on this journey called life."
Now just let the breath flow freely through your body...