Breathing for Life: Short Practices for Stress Reduction

Did you know that the way you breathe affects how you feel? Short shallow chest breaths can make you feel anxious and exhausted while full abdominal breaths can help you feel more calm and energized. Although we breathe about 15 times a minute without even thinking about it, we can harness the power of the breath by simply becoming more aware of it. Conscious breathing is the a key factor in most relaxation techniques. In this course you'll learn about your particular breathing patterns and some practical ways you can use your breath for more emotional balance as you navigate through life!First I'll guide you through a self assessment so you'll get to know your particular breathing patterns a bit better. The great ancient yogic sages say life is not measured by hours or days but by the number of breaths you take. You'll learn if the number of breaths you take is more or less than the average person and how you can breath more efficiently. You'll also discover if you are chest breathing or abdominal breathing and why that matters. You'll explore what muscles you engage most when you breath and learn if that could be contributing to things like a sore neck and stiff shoulders.Then I'll show you how you can breathe more consciously so you can use your breath to intentionally change the way you feel. We'll also explore hand gestures called mudras which help you feel the subtle changes in your body and mind a bit better and we'll work with gentle stretches to eliminate tight muscles that may inhibit your ability to breathe deeply. Finally, I'll show you eight very short breathing practices that help you cope better with life!