You might think breathing is second nature…you’re doing it right now as you are reading this. Did you know, however, that there are different kinds of breathing and that what is called ‘deep breathing’ can have important health benefits?

Read on to learn three of the most important reasons you should add deep breathing to your daily routine.

Manage Anxiety and Depression

Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also known as the “rest and digest” system. The job of the parasympathetic nervous system is to conserve energy that is then used for bodily functions like digestion and urination. Deep breathing helps to activate the vagus nerve which oversees mood, digestion, and even heart rate. 

Improve Focus and Reduce Stress

As part of my lifestyle recommendations, I always suggest taking a minute to check in with oneself throughout the day, especially in times of stress or when you feel like you can’t focus; it’s a great way to incorporate deep breathing.

Here’s how: 

Your diaphragm is the small muscle just below your lungs. If you breathe correctly, it contracts and moves downward so your lungs expand to take in fresh air. When you exhale, the opposite occurs, and your diaphragm relaxes and slides further up your chest cavity. 

First, put one hand over your heart and one hand on your abdomen. Breathe in through your nose, allowing the air to fill your belly. Notice how the hand on your stomach moves while the hand on your heart doesn’t. Draw your navel toward your spine as you exhale. If it helps, pretend you are blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. Notice how the hand on your stomach slides back to its original position. Repeat these steps three to five times to start paying particular attention to how you feel after each breath.

This process will improve your focus and lower your stress levels the more you incorporate it into your day. Maybe set an alarm on your phone to stop once in the morning, once during lunch and once in the evening to practice deep breathing. 

Improves Sleep

If you find yourself in high stress situations and suffering from anxiety or depression, then you probably aren’t sleeping very well either. Use these steps to slow yourself down before bed to clear your mind and slow your heart rate. Keep a journal once you begin deep breathing regularly and you may notice that the more you do it the better you find yourself sleeping. 

And just like almost everything in life, there is an app for that! There are several apps available to help you manage your breathing. If you own an Apple Watch, you already have access to a breathing app, perfectly named Breathe. The app will check in with you, prompting you to take one-minute breathing breaks and guiding you when to exhale and inhale. There are other apps available so a quick search in your app store will help you find the one that is right for you. 

The best part about incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine is that you can do it anywhere and nobody even realizes that’s what you are doing. When you know you are going to head into a situation that is stressful or gives you anxiety, practice deep breathing ahead of time and during the event. 

Deep breathing is a fantastic tool for your mental health toolbox so take the time to incorporate it into your daily routine and pay attention to how you feel before and after. Adjust how often and what time of day you might practice deep breathing and watch your body and your mind adapt to that increase in oxygen throughout the day.

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Meditation has a reputation for several health benefits but here are the top eight reasons establishing a regular meditation routine can improve your overall health and wellbeing.

But first, what is meditation? It is defined as the regular process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.

Stress Buster

Research proves that meditation can really be a stress reducer. Too much stress in your life can cause sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and even high blood pressure. An 8-week study published in 2013 found that “mindfulness meditation” actually reduced the inflammatory response caused by too much stress.

Reduce Anxiety

As mentioned previously, as stress levels decrease, so does anxiety. A 2014 study examined the transcendental meditation technique and found that it reduced anxiety significantly.
Additional research has found that a variety of techniques can reduce anxiety levels.
It doesn’t matter what technique you try, just get started! 

Emotional Health

After the pandemic, we all know just how important it is to maintain our mental health. Regular meditation has been shown to reduce the symptoms of depression by decreasing the levels of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which are released in response to stress. It can also help people experience fewer negative thoughts. 

Improve Attention Span

Studies also show that regular meditation practices can lead to enhanced performance on visual tasks and a great attention span than those who don’t regularly practice meditation.
You don’t need to set a goal of meditating for hours on end; other studies have indicated that even short periods of meditation each day can be a benefit. One study found that just 13 minutes a day of meditation enhanced attention and memory after just eight weeks.

Reduce Memory Loss

Now that you know that regular meditation can lead to improvements in attention and clarity, you might be happy to hear that both benefits lead to keeping your mind young and healthy overall. 

Studies have found that in addition to fighting the normal age-related memory loss that comes from getting older, meditation can at least partially improve memory in those suffering from dementia. It can also help to control stress and improve coping skills in caregivers.  

Better Sleep 

Healthy sleep patterns lead to a host of health benefits and one study found that people who meditated regularly not only remained asleep for longer periods of time, but also have improved insomnia severity. Meditation can help you relax and release tension, thus placing you in a peaceful state that allows you to fall asleep quickly and more easily. 

Pain Relief 

One review of 38 studies concluded that mindfulness meditation could not only reduce pain, but also improve quality of life, and decrease the symptoms of depression in those suffering from chronic pain. 

Keep Blood Pressure in Check

The dangers of high blood pressure are common knowledge and include heart disease and stroke among other issues. A 2015 meta-analysis of 12 studies with nearly 1,000 participants found that meditation helped to reduce blood pressure. 

The bottom line is that meditation is something that everyone can try to improve their mental and emotional health. You don’t have to have a particular level of athletic ability; it doesn’t require a special location or equipment and you don’t have to buy a membership to a gym to try it. A simple Google or YouTube search can get you started. Trying out a variety of styles to see what might work best for you is a great way to begin your meditation journey!

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It has been shown sound vibrations promote healing and provide a type of massage to the organs. Six main organs that benefit from this sound vibration include the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys and triple burner. These are known as yin organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine and are associated with wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The key to vibrational healing is a relaxed attention to the organ to release stuck energy and emotion. It is not even necessary to voice the sounds; a whisper will do or even a mental rendition of the sound. There are many methods of qi gong practice for sound healing. You can explore more on YouTube or seek a qi gong teacher for more specific practice.

Liver: The emotion associated with the wood element, is the liver. The organ associated with the liver is the eyes. When someone is very angry, they tend to get bloodshot eyes due to rising energy. Visualize the liver and send love and attention to it. The sound of the liver is “sshh” (xu in pinyin). Give a nice breathless “sshh” down to your liver, releasing all the air in your lungs, relaxing and releasing any anger. Repeat five times.

Heart: The heart, a fire element, can get overwhelmed with frustration, hate and strong emotions. The heart’s emotion is joy, and the heart is involved with circulation and mental clarity. Visualize the heart in red and send down love and attention. The sound of the heart is He, pronounced “haaaaa” with the mouth wide open. Repeat five times, releasing all the air from the lungs and sending an inner smile to your heart.

Spleen: The spleen, the earth element, is involved with digestion and transformation of food. It can get bogged down with overthinking and worrying, anxiety and weight gain. Send the color yellow to your stomach area and give a breathless “hooo” (a guttural sound from the throat, not as in ”who” or “woo” but as in “hoe”), Hu in pinyin. Repeat five times, sending love to your spleen and stomach area, releasing all the air from your lungs.

Lungs: The lungs, the metal element, take in oxygen, circulate it and breathe out the old. The lungs are especially sensitive to external factors in the environment. The lungs are adversely affected by grief, sadness and depression. Send the color white to the lungs with an inner smile, release any sadness, and sound out “sss” with your tongue behind your teeth (si). Repeat five times.

Kidneys: The kidneys are associated with reproduction, sexuality, longevity, bones, urination, and your basic constitution. The kidneys are the water element and are associated with fear and phobias. Trauma will affect the kidneys, so visualize the kidneys in a dark blue or black and release fears with the sound “chooo” (chui). This is the whispered sound of blowing out a candle. Repeat as above.

San Jiao (Triple Burner): This meridian covers the top, middle and lower part of the body and is involved with irrigation and regulation of fluids. The sound associated with the triple burner is “sheee” (xi), a breathless sound to move the heat from the top part of the head down through the feet. Visualizing this heat moving downward helps boost sexual energy and warms the lower body.

The key to sound healing is to expel the old and bring in the new energy physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Seek out a teacher if you are interested in adopting these exercises more in depth. These sounds should not replace seeking medical treatment for any acute or chronic physical or mental condition.

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There are many styles of meditation to choose from.
We are so fortunate to live on the South Shore, where many classes and wonderful instructors are available!

Let’s explore some types of meditation….

These include Buddhist practices, transcendental, zen, mantra, chakra, sound, guided, and active, among others.
How can someone choose where to start?
Think about the type of person you are overall, the amount of time and dedication you have, and where your interests lie…was it recommended to you by your doctor or therapist?…what do you intend to get out of meditation?…

Here are some benefits from practicing:

• Relaxation
• Healing the body
• Handle stress better
• Feel less anxious
• Increased energy
• Improved focus
• Deeper spiritual connection to oneself
• Increased amount of positive feelings

The goal of meditation is to quiet the mind and bring your consciousness to the present moment. In addition, meditation helps one connect with the inner self and increases connection to others and the whole of creation. Meditation eases persistent mental noise, improves focus/creativity and is calming. Almost any activity can be meditative if it absorbs your attention and keeps you present.                                                                                       Let’s consider some meditation exercises:

Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga – These exercises cultivate ‘life energy’ and promote the circulation of energy (Qi) through the focus on breathing and movement. In particular these exercises circulate oxygen and blood.  (Always seek out a qualified instructor to help you with proper form).

Activity Mindfulness – Walking (ie. a labyrinth, my personal favorite!) or doing other enjoyable activities such as sports, art, music or writing can promote activity mindfulness. Doing dishes, gardening, or cleaning can also be considered a meditation if we are focused and present while enjoying the experience!

Guided Meditation – This type of meditation is where one sits and focuses on specific imagery given by an instructor or through audio. This form of meditation is often used in healing, as one can focus on specific parts of the body. I’ve used CDs from healthjourneys.com, with great success.

Sound – The focus of this meditation is on a sound, repeated mantra or vibration. Drumming circles are a great place to participate for sound meditation.

Mantra – Mantra meditation is repeating a mantra (and there are many), such as “Om” or “Om mani padme hum”.

Transcendental Meditation – This is a very popular and well-known practice which includes a mantra and is usually practiced about 20 minutes twice a day. It’s a good idea to seek out an instructor for transcendental meditation, as it has specific techniques that may require a higher level of assistance.

Sitting – Sitting meditation is very common and can incorporate focus on sound, a mantra, or breathing. Practices tend to originate from Buddhism, and established positions, such as the lotus, have been taught to encourage deeper inner connection.

Binaural Beats – Although originating from the 1800s, this is a modern addition to the meditation circle. Binaural beats are special frequencies that put the brain into meditative states such as alpha or theta. The frequencies, which synchronize brain waves, have benefits such as increased awareness. Binaural beats tend to quickly enhance mood. Books and CDs can be found easily using an Internet search.

If you are ready for meditation, start slowly with one that looks enjoyable.
Better yet, START RIGHT NOW!    …”scan each part your body with thoughts of appreciation”…

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