If you can’t control your breath, how do you expect to control your energy?

Let me start with this warning : this is not another writing on how breathing can help you relax, build your energy, help you sleep better, focus more, reduce your anxiety. Well… not just that.

It goes deeper into understanding how: YOU can design your own breathing technique to produce the results you want for your physical and emotional wellbeing.

( if for now you just want to get the basic techniques click here, otherwise keep reading)

It’s about giving you the freedom and the choice to develop your own breathing practice that will serve you even better.

You may have your own established breathing routine and you are just curious to know how to develop it further,

or you may get it intellectually but you find that it is not that easy to implement.

It’s all right!

And… I find it much easier to do something not because you are told it’s good but because you play with it and you find your own way to own it and enjoy it. So while you are reading this, go on and experiment with your breathing!

Have you ever wondered why do you sigh ? You know that long exhale that you do when you are sad, tired…followed sometimes by the sound Haa? It is the automatic response of your body to induce relief. It slows your heartbeat and lower your blood pressure.

Isn’t it amazing to realize how your body always knows what to do to nurture you?

Now, what if you consciously understand the basic effects that your actions of inhaling, holding your breath and exhaling have on your physical and emotional state ? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to play with these purposely?

This means that at any given moment, you have the knowledge and the power to change your own breathing patterns, and to manage your emotional states as per your wish.

What is the best breathing technique?

the one that best suits you!

( yes, I know, I say this a lot, but doesn’t’ that make sense?), so:

While, I’ve seen many writings on breathing techniques, I got it better when I was exposed to the Hawaiian approach to breathing.

So I’d like to share this with you; In the Hawaiian culture , each breath phase is linked to one of the 4 elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth and the related energies as below:

Inhale: Fire / Increased Energy

Hold: Air / Move upward- Joy

Exhale: Water / Flow as water, calm down , relax

Hold: Earth / Peace and wisdom

So once you think about your breathing cycles as linked to these 4 elements , you can understand that:

1. By focusing on any of these 4 phases more than the other, you will build more of the related element and the related energy into your body,

2. By balancing your breath (ie: spending as much time in inhaling- holding-exhaling-holding). You bring more balance and harmony into yourself  and between yourself and others.

Below a very simple illustration on the relation between these elements: your breath and your feelings and how to balance them:

Click in here to enlarge.

So what else to know before starting?

Other tips for you to start playing:

• Take deep breathes, feel the air entering and exiting down into your belly.

• I find it more powerful to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth . If you are more confortable otherwise, it’s still good.

• Ideally do any breathing routines for 10 minutes or plus. But even 10 cycles will be beneficial, start at your own rythme, adjust, adapt and find your own way.

And , I almost forgot, remember sighing? long exhale with the Haa sounds that you used to do unconsciously? Your body does it when it reaches a point when it needs more relief.

So when you feel yourself overwhelmed, stressed before an important deadline ( what an idea to call it dead line by the way… but that’s for another post:) , loosing it with the kids jumping all over the place… just remember to sigh, consciously deeply and properly.

And the more you practice these breathings and you find the best fit for you in any specific situations, the easier it becomes for you to manage your emotions and states better.

And why is it that you wait to feel exhausted or overwhelmed to do it? Why don’t you give yourself this treat at regular basis during the day.  Now that you know better, gift yourself with a full nice Ha breath ( sigh) . Why not stop and do it right now? 

Just take a deep breath in through the nose, filling your lungs , inflating your belly and then exhale through the mouth slowly , loudly whispering the word "Haaaa," take your time, . How does that feel?

Go on, try, experiment, play and enjoy.

Your Expansion Catalyst

Jihen Gatti