Stop Your Stress, Anxiety & Fear In It's Tracks

You don't need to fall into the stress of everyday life. There are so many different tools and concepts out there now to help you stay cool, calm and collected even when life throws you a curve ball. There is one way that is always readily available to you , can you guess what it is…? You can in fact use breath to relax, rather than stress your mind and body with worries or anxieties. One great way to learn proper technique with breath work (yep, there is a right and wrong way to breathe, weird right?!) is Yoga. Yoga helps you to relearn that natural state that your body and mind want to be in; relaxation.

Deep breathing is both calming and energizing. The energy you feel from a few minutes of careful breath is not nervous or hyper like we seem to roll around in everyday life like, but it’s that calm, steady energy we all need and crave. Slow, steady, and quiet breathing gives a message to your nervous system to be calm.

Whole books have been written on yoga breathing but for now, here is one 5-minute Breath Break. (Read through the instructions several times before you try the practice.)

1. Sit with your spine as straight as possible. Use a chair if necessary but don't slump forward into it. Feet flat on the floor with knees directly over the centre of your feet. Use a book or cushion under your feet if they do not rest comfortably on the ground. Hands are on the tops of your legs with your palms facing up.

2. Close your eyes gently and let them rest behind closed lids.

3. Think about your ribs, at the front, back, and at the sides of your body. Your lungs are behind those ribs.

4. Feel your lungs filling up, your ribs expanding out, up, forwards and backwards. Feel your lungs emptying, your ribs coming back down and in. Don't push the breath. Try to elongate though to a count of 6 seconds in, then 6 seconds out.

5. The first few times you do this, do it for 2 to 3 minutes, then do it for up to 5 to 10 minutes. At first, set aside a time at least once a day to do this. When you learn how good it makes you feel, you'll want to do it at other times as well. Especially when the stress of life is starting to get you down.

Just as one stressful situation goes into your next challenge, relaxing for a few minutes every day gradually carries over into the rest of your daily life and activities. Promoting constant feelings of relaxation and calm.