“Learning how to breathe correctly and practice regular Mindful Breathing can calm, energize and reduce stress.”

-Dr. Andrew Weil

The connection we have to our breath is powerful, and when we have an understanding of its ability, it can help regulate and heal the body. On any given day we breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day and are powered by our breathing. It can decrease stress, enhance concentration and balance our emotions. Whether we have an awareness or mindfulness around our breathing is the next question we may want to ask.

When used in physical practices such as Yoga, Pranayama (breath regulation) it can help prevent injury, connect your body and mind, control the timing of your poses and move through poses with ease. In an article written by Amarjit Singh called” Why is breath so important in Yoga?” It states that if you breathe 15 times per minute you will live 75 to 80 years, if you breathe 10 times per minute you will live 100 years. The speed at which you breathe will dictate the length of life.

When a woman is in labor, breathing mindfully has the ability to ease contractions, reduce anxiety and provide more oxygen to your baby and to your brain. It can be used as an alternative to drugs for the management of pain and focus. When we focus attention on the breath, we detach our focus on pain. Want to try mindful breathing exercise?

Click here :Mindful Breathing

Taking a mindful approach to our breathing can lay the foundation for how we choose to live in other areas of our life. For example, if every breath is taken with mindfulness and appreciation, we can practice that mindfulness in how we eat, how we speak to others and how we spend our day. Try the affirmation below and see how it makes you feel.

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.” – Anapanasati Sutta, The Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing. See more at: Motherhood Community