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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Would you like to soothe yourself with your breath? Shamash shares some breathing techniques to ease anxiety.
Hello, it's Shamash here.
I've been asked the question,
does breathing help anxiety?
So first of all, if you're
feeling overwhelmed with anxiety
right now, sorry to hear that.
You're certainly not alone.
I've been there.
And even as a full-time mindfulness
teacher and trainer, I often find
myself experiencing anxieties as
I experience all the different
challenges that I faced in my life.
Now this question about
breathing, I love this question.
I guess the question is can breathing
exercises help with reducing
the anxiety and, and if so, how?
Now, there's a close relationship,
I would say, between your
breath and your stress response.
In fact, if you breathe in a rapid and
shallow way, you can actually induce a
sense of stress and a feeling of anxiety.
And on the flip side, when you engage
in slow, deep breathing, your nervous
system automatically begins to relax.
It's an easy physical way to turn
up the dial on relaxation and
to reduce the dial on stress.
So the simple answer is yes,
deep breathing can help to
lower your feelings of anxiety.
And when you combine the deep
breathing together with mindful
awareness, you may find it's even
more soothing and beneficial.
Now I want to give a little side note
and I've mentioned before that with
anxiety, one of the problems is when
we try too hard to avoid the feeling.
In a sense, it's almost
like a fear of fear itself.
And the more we try to use these
approaches or techniques as a way to run
away from anxiety or get rid of it, it
can kind of tend to chase us actually.
So, think of this more as a way of
being with the anxiety, embracing
it and soothing yourself rather than
from the spirit of trying to avoid.
The essence of mindfulness is
about relating to challenges in a
different way, a way of accepting
the feelings that we're having.
So as you learn this technique, do it
from that spirit of self-kindness and
compassion and a sense of acceptance.
So when you do the deep breathing
technique that I'm talking about today,
your belly actually expands as you breathe
in and contracts as you breathe out.
The reason for this is at the
base of your lungs there's a
muscle called the diaphragm.
And when you breathe deeply, that
diaphragm goes down, it lowers
and it pushes your belly out.
That's why feeling your belly
expanding on your in-breath and
contracting on your out-breath is
actually a sign of deep breathing.
You're encouraging the lovely air to
go deep into the base of your lungs,
nourishing your body with oxygen.
And it's actually a
natural way to breathe.
If you ever see a baby breathing,
you'll notice that their belly
expands and contracts as they breathe.
To do deep breathing, you need
to begin by sitting or lying
down in a comfortable posture.
The other thing you need to do to
prepare for deep breathing is to
ensure your clothing is not too
tight, especially around your waist.
And this is because in deep breathing,
you actually want your belly to
expand out each time you breathe in.
In our culture, we're kind of
encouraged to have a flat belly.
And so some people find themselves
breathing in a shallow way, just,
just breathing in their chest,
which can be part of the cause of
feeling a bit more anxiety, actually.
So I encourage you to welcome your
belly expanding each time you breathe
in, contracting as you breathe out.
Seeing it as a positive sign of
peace, of ease, of relaxation.
If you want to do a little experiment
just to see how powerful deep
breathing can be, begin by thinking
of something, that's actually causing
you a bit of stress at the moment.
And as you start to think about
that cause of your stress, you
may notice that your heart rate
increases and your body tenses up.
Then, try doing the
deep breathing exercise.
Sit or lie down comfortably.
Place one hand on your belly and one hand
on your chest, if that feels good for you.
And breathe in slowly and see if
you can try and make your belly
expand outwards, as you breathe in.
And then breathe out slowly too.
Ideally a hand on your belly will
be moving as you breathe in and out.
And the hand on your chest
will be relatively still.
As you do this, you can actually
try counting in your mind
as you breathe in and out.
I like to count to three as I breathe
in and count to four as I breathe out.
So you can try counting and
see what numbers work for you.
And if you're not into counting, you just
listen to your breath or feel your breath.
That's fine.
See if you can try a few
minutes today, if you can.
Practicing a few minutes a day can
be a really pleasant way to relax
and cultivate mindful awareness too.
It's something that I certainly
enjoy doing from time to time, even
if it's just for a few breaths.
So thanks so much for your
mindful practice today.
Wish you all the best as you
try this breathing practice to
soothe your feelings of anxiety.
I know working through anxiety
certainly isn't easy, so do try
to be extra gentle and kind with
yourself as you go about your day.
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Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
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Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
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I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
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