Day 2 Start with Breathing

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15 Dec 2020

#mindfulness #breathing

Last night on my way back home, listening to #Hey Soul Sister, I thought long and hard (luckily, the metro ride is long enough for the thoughts to flow fully) on what to put in this important second day mindfulness sharing post.

The stress was starting to build.

Then the body reacted. Naturally. With the simplest mindfulness exercise: slowing the breathing.

A deeply relaxed person breathes around 7 times a minute. Slowing down your breathing right now will automatically help you calm down.

Try with me.

Breathe in through your nostrils. Count at a normal pace to 6.
Hold it. Count to 2.
Let the warm air naturally and steadily flow out, counting to 8.
If you can, count slowly.

Do it at a pace you feel comfortable breathing in. You will notice you feel calmer if not also more relaxed after a min.

The great thing about this exercise is that you can practically do it anywhere (not underwater I suppose). This is especially helpful when you need to focus, do a presentation, attend an interview, or simply just to calm down.

昨晚在回家的地铁上，我一边听着Hey Soul Sister,一边思索着在这重要的正念减压法第二期主题推送中该加入哪些内容（好消息是地铁时间长到足够让我的思维充分涌流），这场思索无疑漫长而烧脑。

压力始袭来。

身体立刻对此出自然反应。就从最简单的正念减压法练习始：减缓呼吸。

一个充分放松的人每分钟只须呼吸7次。即刻降低呼吸速率能达到自动帮助你冷静下来的效果。

跟我一起来试试吧。

第一步：通过鼻孔呼吸，按正常呼吸速率数到6。

第二步：保持这一速度，数到2。

第三步：让温热的气体自然稳定地从鼻腔中流出，并数到8。

第四步：如果可以的话，尽可能减缓呼吸。

小贴士：在自己感到呼吸舒适的前提下进行本项练习。一分钟之后，你肯定能感觉到放松或冷静下来了。

这项练习最棒的地方在于你可以在几乎任何地方对此展实践，当然我想水下除外。

当你需要集中注意力，发表讲演，或是参加面试，乃至于只是想冷静下来时，这项练习的良好功效就尤其明显。