The Power Of Breath

There is something magical about sitting in silence listening to your own breath. Have you tried it? If not, I highly recommend. Managing my breathing, being present (in the now) for me breathing has enhanced my life in so many ways. But before I get into that, I want to provide basic and simple tips you can use to make sure you are breathing/meditating properly.

6 Ways to Effectively Meditate

1. Set a few minutes aside each day to meditate where you will not be interrupted. (no rules here, you can do early in the day, late at night, or randomly in the afternoon)
2. Make sure to remove all distractions (turn notifications on silent, turn all unnecessary electronics off, go outside, or in a room where you can close off the world and just breath)
3. Get comfortable!! Too many times have I tried to meditate immediately after getting home from work and was miserable!! Honestly work clothes are some of the most uncomfortable clothing I'm forced to wear. I learned quickly, getting comfy I can meditate longer. So grab those leggings, Harem pants, shorts, dresses (or nada if you choose) and get ready to breath!
4. Focus on your breathing. If you are reading this it's because at that very moment you are alive, meaning you are already breathing. However life can spark anxiety, fear, or depression into your life. So although you are naturally breathing, odds are you are not breathing correctly. To meditate properly you have to slow down. In fact, I made a game out of it. First, breath in slowly, counting to whatever number you feel comfortable with (I do 10) and pause.
5. As you are counting to 10, slowly inhaling you are already training your brain to focus on your body and not on anything around you. Once you pause, I take this moment to either ask Universe for guidance, or just reflect on things I am grateful/thankful for.
6. Time to Exhale... Now that my body is focusing primarily on my breathing, and my mind is focusing on my goals, and positive things in my life I am ready to blow out (exhale) all the negative thoughts, situations or anything that does not fit into the life I want and the mindset I want to stay in.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 as many times as you want!! It's your life boo, dominate it!!

Now I do want to point out that I skipped over a few "add-ons", and this is because to effectively mediate, you have to make your "you" time your own!! What I mean by that is everyone is different and their comfort levels differ as well. I cannot live without music, so when I mediate I love to be in synch with certain frequencies. However, I know many amazing people that would consider music a distraction and prefer to sit in silence. Some prefer to burn sage, incense, Palo Santo.. any herbs that may seem soothing to them really. So I will not be a dictator and force you to meditate a certain way, but I hope from reading this if you had questions about meditating or how to get started this article has given you some new insight.

Now I wanted to provide some personal insight on how meditating has affected my life as a whole. Once you get into the swing of things, meditation honestly becomes a normal part of your life. At work, I am not able to hide in the bathroom and do my breathing for 20 minutes. However, I was able to translate my breathing techniques into my work day as I sit at my desk.

Anyone, that has every worked in a office setting before understands. Days can get crazy!! Phones some days will ring off the hook and seem to never stop until you finally can put your DND on. Sometimes the people you interact with will raise your blood pressure, and some times it seems intentional LOL! By Lunch time, you have already thought of 2 scenarios of how you will be turning in your resignation. But wait.. before you make any drastic changes in your life.. try slowing down your breathing.

I am at the point now where slowing down my breathing is fun! It's my go to before I really get myself into trouble. People may look at you funny if you do this in a very public place but honestly who cares! You can always joke, I may look silly but this is best for everyone's health. They may get the hint, and leave you be. Honestly, they always do LOL.

If you guys, enjoyed this article please let me know. Tips and any suggestions of other material you would love for me to write about is the best way to reach out on this platform. Writing is fun, but I also want to make sure I'm writing about things others will read. Appreciate you guys, and remember... breath slowly! Everything always works out.