For all the technology humans have created to make life easier for ourselves, we’ve also gained a new respect for paying attention to our bodies and other natural signs around us. Our heart rate, breathing, mental state, sleep patterns, and more are guides on a path to better health. They provide awareness of when the body is stressed and can be used to return ourselves to a more peaceful state when we acknowledge the power of relaxation and controlling our inner dialogue. Understanding simple breathing exercises is one of the easiest ways to improve our well-being, and box breathing is among the best approaches to take. We share a little more about the practice below.
Box breathing, which is also known as square breathing, is an easy way to gain control of our breathing pattern to help lower our heart rate, control rapid breathing, and reduce dizziness. As you can imagine, these are all symptoms of anxiety which makes box breathing the perfect exercise in stress-inducing moments. The practice is favored by everyone from yoga instructors to nonprofit leaders to military veterans and all sorts of people who are seeking to better how they treat their body in trying and relaxed moments.
The box breathing technique focuses on four consecutive steps that are each held for a 4-second window of time. You inhale for four seconds, hold the breath for four seconds, exhale for another four, then hold the exhale for the remaining four seconds. You repeat this breathing series a few more times - inhale, hold, exhale, hold. The focus on breathing not only centers on our stresses through the body, but by allowing our mind to become distracted by a task that is repetitive and simple. Basically it lets us shut down our brain for a couple of seconds and simply focus on breath, aka life.
Many leaders of box breathing exercises choose to start and close the exercise with uplifting and calming messages or other soothing noises like those that come from sound bowls. This short practice goes a long way in benefitting those who take the time to use it. You can do it at home by yourself, with some friends, or with those you enter stressful situations with. All that matters is we are taking care of ourselves and creating more calming lives.
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