Greetings,

Take a deep Breath! It’s long been known that stress, particularly chronic stress, opens the door to negative effects on our body whether it is physical, emotional or mental. Modern day stressors come in different forms such as unemployment, financial problems, illness or family conflict and don’t produce the same reaction in everyone. Sometimes it’s anger or anxiety or fear…

Whether you’re a Mom or Pop juggling work while taking care of the kids, a recent graduate feeling the stress of entering the job market, or a caregiver looking after a loved one, here’s a lifeline tip to establish and maintain your internal balance that will guide you through all sorts of situations with mental steadiness and emotional stability. Oh yes, it’s your breathing!

Our unconscious breath is part of our autonomic nervous system and is responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes. Now let’s take a moment to think about how our breathing can change in stressful circumstances. Sometimes it might be rapid or shallow or we don’t realize we are holding our breath. To get started, we want to keep it simple and introduce ‘belly breathing’ to begin to open our body to allow for a deeper breath that has wide ranging positive effects such as helping us feel more calm, clear and composed. Are you ready?

• Sit up straight, feet flat on floor, shoulders and face relaxed
• Focus on your Belly
• Inhale and Exhale is through your nose
• As you inhale feel your belly expand with air, and as you exhale bring your navel point back towards your spine as this will aid in completely emptying the air from your abdomen setting yourself up nicely for your next inhalation. As you feel comfortable with this rhythm, you can mentally count to 4 on the inhale and count to 4 on the exhale. This establishes an equal count for inhale/exhale that helps to balance your nervous system. If a 4 count is too long on either then try a 3 count – keep them equal. Begin with 1-3 minutes and extend the duration as needed. Remember you can do this at anytime, anywhere!
• Over time, breathing exercises can become meditative, tapping into the Parasympathetic Nervous System, activating a relaxation response. Ahhhh…
• Practice and Patience. Establishing a relationship with your breath in a conscious way can have astounding and transformative results. The key is consistent practice with the goal that it becomes automatic and ready to kick in when you find yourself in a stressful situation.

Beyond the Bridge empowers clients through one-on-one coaching to build their own bridge towards personal well-being. By making informed healthy choices and behavior changes that are sustainable, individuals learn how food, exercise, stress, relationships and career impact their own sense of well-being.

Read more about our work and philosophy in our newly updated Brochure that comes in a handy pdf form to print or send in an email. It’s also on our website under Resources. Please pass it along!

May your days be filled with Love, Happiness, Kindness and Smooth Sailing!

Breathe deeply, Walk daily and Smile!

With Love, Peace and Light,
Linda Shields, Founder