What Your Breath Says About You
As this week’s video explains, the way you breathe can shed light on how you tend to be. I have done the exercise personally and surveyed others. The results are fascinatingly consistent.
Whether the exercise suggests that you are inclined to take on too much, or that you struggle to put yourself out there, connecting with breath can help you become more self-aware and balanced.
Allow me to explain.
Whatever is going on within us shows up in our bodies in one way or another (think of how experts say most of our communication is nonverbal—through expressions, gestures, inflection, etc). This implies a strong connection between emotions/mentality and our bodies. That connection is multidirectional. Changing the way you think about something will change your physicality. In reverse, changing your posture or moving your body in a particular way can shift how you think or feel. Smiling can make you happy.
This is all to say that intentional physical exercises, even ones as seemingly simple as breathing, can initiate changes on a deeper level. The breathing exercise described in the video (and the following meditation) is designed to help you feel more balanced. Leveling out your breath can level out your inner state.
Like all exercises, results are multiplied over time. Do this breathwork regularly to viscerally learn valuable skills around handling challenges with greater ease. Mindful physical discomforts can lead us to grow stronger all-around.
The following meditation will get you started. It’s just four minutes and after one or two listens, start to do the practice on your own. You can even do it in a minute or less!