Believe, Practice, Choose – the Gift of Self Care: Day 3

Believe Your Breath is Your Friend

“Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” —Teachings of Buddha Master

The first time I saw my dad in a hospital bed after one of his many falls, I stopped breathing for a moment. When I heard my mother’s diagnosis of throat cancer only a few short months after her diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s, I stopped breathing. The day I rushed to the emergency room to find my dad in a wheelchair, his arm in a sling, and my mother in bed being attended to by a doctor, I stopped breathing. I didn’t have the tools then to help my body recover from the shock of those situations the way I do now.

Breath is a trusted friend you can call upon anytime, day or night. Using your breath as a self care tool doesn’t take much time, is easy to do, and costs nothing. In five minutes or less, when you use your breath, you center yourself and help your body recover from the daily stresses of life. With each slow, deliberate, long breath, you are pouring unconditional love into your body, mind, and spirit.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe deeply.

By changing our pattern of breathing, we significantly affect our body’s experience of and response to stress

Breathing can provide many benefits to your physical and mental well-being. By changing our pattern of breathing, we significantly affect our body’s experience of and response to stress. Through my yoga classes, I’ve learned that simple breathing exercises can reduce toxins, aid digestion, increase metabolism, develop mental clarity, and help achieve a state of deep relaxation and peace.

If only I had known this when I was caring for my parents.

Since then, I have discovered a new tool; a simple breathing exercise called square breathing or box breathing. You can practice it in the grocery store line, waiting in the doctor’s office, or just before a big meeting at work. I often do it before an important phone call or a conversation I think might be confrontational or frustrating.

1. Begin by slowly exhaling all your air out of your lungs.
2. Gently inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4.
3. Hold at the top of the breath for a count of 4.
4. Gently exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.
5. At the bottom of the breath, pause and hold for the count of 4.
6. Repeat as often as you like.

Breath is the one self care tool you carry with you all the time. Use it often. Breathe in, breathe out, and breathe deeply. Lean on your trusted friend.

Quick Action Step: Try this new breathing technique, square breathing, at least once NOW or write below when you will.