Take a Breath. Seriously.

When we are stressed we often hold our breath. Ironically enough, holding our breath actually increases our stress. 

Recently, I noticed that I sometimes hold my breath while checking email, reading the news headlines, and even checking social media. It as if the stress of that email, news headline, or some post builds up deep inside me. I’m not alone in this. According to The Center for Humane Technology, it turns out many of us do this while checking our email, task lists, or using mobile technology. 

Yet, slow and deep breathing is our natural antidote to stress. It always has been. 

Breathing has been proven to lower your blood pressure and heart rate. It can calm anxiety and decrease the negative effects of cortisol released in our bodies when we are overwhelmed or stressed. It has the power to calm and center ourselves and is essential to our mental health.

Breathing, something we do almost entirely unconscious 20 times per minute, has countless benefits. 

So take a breath. Seriously.

This blog can wait.

Take a slow deep inhale. Slowly exhale as if breathing out through a straw. Notice how your shoulders relax and tension in your body is released. 

In this pandemic in which we are living through, I have become utterly convinced that developing a practice of deep breathing and awareness is essential to our emotional and physical well-being. And, as I have discovered, it is also essential to our spiritual well-being.

You can find the importance of breathing as a spiritual practice in Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 

For instance, a group of Christian monks in the fifth century determined one could pray without ceasing by connecting one’s prayer to one’s breath. For these monks, with each inhale or exhale a prayer is recited. 

In some Jewish traditions, the pronunciation of the unspeakable name of G-d (Yahweh) is believed to be the actual sound of breathing. Yah as the inhale and Weh as the exhale. So breathing can connect us to God because breathing is reciting the name of God.

In Hebrew the word for Spirit is ruach, while in Greek it is pneuma. Both of these terms can also be translated as breath. Because of this, many have come to believe that the Divine Spirit is as present to us as our very breath. 

In the Sufi tradition of Islam, chanting with the breath is a way to become “a child of the moment” who is aware, present, and able to find calm in every moment. And, in the Buddhist tradition, focusing on breathing allows one to enter into a deeper meditative state and bring a sense of calm to all aspects of daily life. 

If I’m honest, in these uncharted times in which we are living, I have found myself to be more anxious and stressed than in other seasons. For me, practicing deep breathing rhythms has had a 100% success rate at calming my nerves, centering my soul, and connecting me with the Divine.

The more I practice breathing, the more I realize I crave a life that is calm, centered, and connected.

I have a bookmark on my browser that I occasionally click when things get a little hectic, it seems I have too much on my to-do list, or when I need a good reminder about breathing. It is a quote from Zen Habits founder Leo Babauta. I’ve quoted it below for you as a reminder to breathe. 

So, seriously, take a breath. Deeply inhale calm and let your stresses melt away with each exhale. But, if you’re around others, make sure you’re wearing a mask. 

Breathe.
If you feel overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.
If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.
If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.
Breathe, and enjoy each moment of this life. They’re too fleeting and few to waste.

If you want to learn more about breathing and prayer, be sure to check out my podcast episode on the Breath Prayer.

Staring at Trees

Most mornings, while silently drinking my cup of coffee or eating my morning breakfast I spend a few minutes staring at a tree outside of a large window in our third-floor apartment. It’s one of those billowing trees that has a huge trunk that branches into a large circular crown of leaves.

I don’t really do anything while I stare at it. I let my mind think about what it wants to think and try to be aware of the present moment. Most mornings, the moment doesn’t last too long as my toddler son usually comes running out of his bedroom to greet me and the day.

I’ve sat in front of it during all four seasons now. In summer it’s a deep green and in winter it branches are grayish brown bending in all directions. In fall it shows off by changing a vibrant spectrum of colors. At the time of writing this, it seemed as if green buds grew over night. I could have sworn they were not there a day ago.

I’m no arborist, so I can’t tell you if it’s a maple, oak, chestnut, or a sycamore tree (I literally just googled “types of big trees” in order to write that former sentence).

What I can tell you, though, is staring at a tree has been scientifically proven to reduce your blood pressure, lower anxiety, and bring a sense of calm. Other studies have shown simply looking at an image of a tree can allow our parasympathetic of the central nervous system to calm our entire body.

In Japan, they have even instituted what is known as Forest Bathing, which is just known as being in the presence of trees, because it increases calm and promotes bodily health.

I don’t know about you, but I sure am open to having less anxiety and more calm in my life.

So, if today is stressful, jam-packed with meetings, emails, and to-do lists; or if this season of life has been overwhelming, overly busy, and difficult; or if you want a moment to connect with your soul, I encourage you to go outside and stare at a tree for a few minutes. Go take a Forest Bath.

I can’t promise it will be magical, but I can promise it will bring a sense of calm. And that in itself can often be life-changing.