Breathe Easy
Amid the wealth of relaxation techniques on offer, from meditation to pranayama, one thing stands out: almost all of them are built around controlled breathing.
“Breathing is one of the most important tools for balancing the nervous system, and therefore balancing our emotions, calming our mind and lowering stress levels in the body,” says Karina Stewart. The co-founder and chief wellness director of the award-winning Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand, Karina says that simple breathing exercises bring immediate results.
“Just five minutes of breathing practice lowers the levels of cortisol, the hormone that is produced in response to stress,” she says. “Breath has a powerful effect on the nervous system, so it evens out anxiety, anger and reactivity.”
Breathing practice works by switching our nervous system from the sympathetic mode –the fight, flight, freeze mode – to the parasympathetic, or healing and digesting mode.
In the yoga tradition, breathing practice is known as pranayama. Karina says that a simple pranayama can alleviate feelings of tension or anxiety. “Start with this practice, which includes three exercises. Do each exercise for three minutes – that’s a total of nine minutes – and you will notice the difference.”
Using the thumb of your dominant hand, block your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril only. Be sure to inhale deeply into your belly, not your chest. Once you are full of breath, seal your left nostril with the ring finger of the same hand for three seconds, then exhale through your right nostril only. Count your seconds for the inhale. When you exhale, make it twice as long as the inhale – so if you inhale for four seconds, exhale for eight seconds.
Repeat the exercise, this time starting by inhaling through the right nostril. Once you have inhaled, seal both nostrils for three seconds and then exhale through the left side.
Let your breath alternate between the nostrils. First, inhale through the left nostril, hold for three seconds, exhale through the right nostril. Then inhale through the right nostril, hold for three seconds, exhale through the left nostril. Do this as slowly as possible and always remember to make the exhale twice as long as the inhale.
Words_ Ute Junker
Photo_ Supplied