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Breathwork, deep breath, exhaling stress, Kebba Buckley Button, oxygen, pH balance, stress, stress relief, Thich Nhat Hanh, UpBeat Living
© 2014 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.
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Almost everyone has stress stored in their bodies. And asking people to “take a deep breath” to cut their stress is very popular. But we need to change that! Think about it.
When you go for a physical, doesn’t the doctor always ask you to “take a deep breath now”? The doctor generally asks for a deep breath, to expand the lungs, so s/he can hear various sounds that may be good or not so good. Seems reasonable.
In situations of conflict, how many times have you heard this advice: “OK, now, everyone, let’s just take a deep breath.” The person suggesting it is talking about taking a momentary timeout from the issues at hand, to shift the stress people are naturally holding in their bodies, using breath. And if you do take a long, deep breath, you will probably drop your shoulders and relax, as you reflexively exhale. But wait! Here’s better advice! Exhale first.
Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
Hands up, everyone who is currently breathing! Oh good. You brought your breath with you. Breath allows life. And if you’ve ever held your breath too long, you know that feels bad. About 6 times per minute, we breathe in oxygen, which is distributed into little collectors in the lungs, where the air and the blood actually meet, across a respiratory membrane. The oxygen, from the air you’ve inhaled, goes into the blood, and the carbon dioxide comes out of the blood, into the breath. That way, we can and do breathe out carbon dioxide. Then it takes only seconds for the oxygen you’ve inhaled to start circulating to the brain and body, through the blood system. The oxygen/carbon dioxide balance is crucial to your body chemistry. So this matters WHY?
I have so much chaos in my life, it’s become normal. You become used to it. You have to just relax, calm down, take a deep breath and try to see how you can make things work rather than complain about how they’re wrong.
~Tom Welling
This matters because you can only inhale, and get that good oxygen, if there is room in your lungs. So exhale first. Here’s a way to get a perfect exhale: sing “ha” on any note you choose, and keep going until you completely run out of breath. At the end of your breath, you’ll naturally gasp, quickly taking in a wonderful gulp of new air. Terrific! And how much did you take in? That full exhalation emptied the bottoms of your lungs, pushing out all that stale urban air and pollution you don’t usually get to, in normal breathing. Now when you inhale, you are inhaling into much more space, and you’ll get much more oxygen.
In about 30 seconds after you force an exhale and allow the gasp, you’ll notice a rush up the back of your head. This is oxygen! The stranger it feels, the more stale air you know you were storing in your lungs. And now your brain and body are working much better. You can think more clearly now, and all systems are more vital. You may have a “humming” sensation all over your body. And more oxygen will keep your cells young, maintain your acid/base balance, and make you naturally more resistant to diseases. And do you notice how much more relaxed you are?
This trick is absolutely free and the equipment is always with you. So don’t take the regular advice! Exhale first, for your perfect stress relief and health! Now that’s Upbeat Living!
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● Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc). She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister.
● Liked this article? You can buy Kebba’s books: just click the links!
- Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br).
- Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition) (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc)
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Healthy Happy Loving Life! 