Hello Gardeners!
Welcome back to #PullYourWeeds! Often on this blog, we offer you tips and tools to help manage your gardens so more flowers can grow. If you regularly read our blog, you'll notice that a tip we often suggest is to take a moment to breathe. Deep breathing not only forces your mind and body to slow down, but actually helps regulate your body's response to stress.
What makes deep breathing such a great tip is that you can do this anywhere, anytime - therefore it's perfect for those unpredictable moments. There are also SO many ways to practice deep breathing. Here are some of our favorites!
Try Belly Breathing (a.k.a. Diaphragmatic Breathing)
Lie flat on your back and place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. Take a deep breath through the nose, directing that air to your belly. Allow your belly to inflate, and try to not let your chest rise. Exhale by pushing on your belly slowly, and repeat!
Belly breathing helps decrease the overactive sympathetic nervous system (our stress response), which in turn can help us avoid stress-related conditions like sleep disorders, digestive disorders, and heart conditions to name a few.
Practice Deep Breathing With a Visual Aid
Sometimes in order to slow down, you need a little assistance. Try using a visual aid like this relaxing GIF to help regulate your breathing.
Try Alternate Nostril Breathing
We borrowed this one from Jonathan Van Ness - make you hand into a fist except for your thumb and your pinky. Place your thumb on one nostril and breathe in through the other, hold and move your pinky to the other nostril and exhale. Repeat at least 3 times!
Draw Your Breath
Before your sit to take some deep breaths, grab a pencil or paint brush and try to trace your breath. Maybe your breath translates into a circle, a line, a square. This is a fun way to slow down and be mindful of your body!
The results are really beautiful and can be a great visual reminder to breathe.
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