Page 16 - Diane Musgrove Issue
P. 16

TOP                                          W often debilitating emotions --- fear, breathwork, and
                                                                      ith all the articles during COVID on ways to deal with
                                                                      anxiety and stress – oh, and the cousin of those two

                 Breathwork                                   meditation have certainly become bigger buzz words than ever
                                                              before in the wellness and self-care space as people everywhere
                                                              strive to recenter and recalibrate life on a daily basis.
              and       Mindfulness                           and spiritual wellness warrior, I’ve been working in this field for
                                                                  As a passionate breathwork teacher and mental, physical
                                                              26 years and I tried all the modalities out there for getting “back
                                                              to good”.
                                                                  After sifting through all of them, below are my top 7 tips

                                        TIPS                  for using breathwork and mindfulness techniques to rise up to a
                                                              more calibrated and joyful state when these emotions try to take
                                                              you down.
                                to Release


                                     Stress,                  Tip # 1                     Tip #3



                                   Anxiety                    The easiest and most acces-  Practice moving meditations,
                                                                                          this is a different style than
                                                              sible of all. Simply take a big
                                                                                          traditional seated meditation
                                                              deep breath. My version of a
                                             and              big deep breath has a twist to   and is done by simply becom-

                                                              it though. I like to add a deep
                                                                                          ing aware of your breath, your
                                           Fear               guttural sigh of release (and   surroundings, your senses, and
                                                              relief) at the end of the breath.
                                                                                          each movement as you engage
                                                                                          in any regular activity through-
                                                              How to do it:               out the day.
                                                              Start with a slow steady inhale
                                                              into the nose for a count of 3-4
                                                              seconds– filling the belly and   Tip #4
                                                              the chest with oxygen – then
                                                              open the mouth and let out a   5 minute Trail of Gratitude
                                                              big guttural sigh for a count of   practice - this is one of my
                                                              4-6 seconds. Make the sound   favorites and is part of my daily
                                                              of one long HA or a series   wellness routine. You can do
                                                              of HA HA HA’s or any other   this seated or lying down - this
                                                              sound that feels cathartic.   is how I end each breathwork
                                                              Relax everything as you repeat   class I teach and it’s a beautiful
                                                              this 2-3 more times or until   way to combine gratitude and
                                                              relief is felt.             visualization (another powerful
                                                                                          mindfulness technique)
                                                              Tip #2                      How to do it:
                                                                                          Picture yourself in your favorite
                                                              Create a daily mindful breath-  place in nature, and see yourself
                                                              ing practice that consists of   standing there - your bare feet
                                                              breath awareness exercises. The   firmly rooted on the ground
                                                              goal of this type of breathwork   beneath you.
                                                              is to get present with the inflow   In front of you is a trail and
                                                              and outflow of the breath by   it’s clear you are meant to walk
                                                              noticing the length of each   down it.
                                                              breath, the sensations of the   As you stand there, begin
                By Rebecca Kordecki                           breath, and all the nuances that   to see all of the people in your
                                                                                          life that have touched you,
                                                              take place with each wave of
             Photos courtesy of Rebecca Kordecki              the breath cycle.           changed your life for the better,
                                                                                          deeply impacted you - all the

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