You know when you find yourself in a tough and perhaps difficult situation and you notice yourself holding your breath? It’s very restrictive to say the least.
I’ve found myself in more than one occasion with a difficult person (I’m sure that you’ve been there too!). There I am holding my breath to perhaps avoid jumping over the office desk to strangle the person.
But, what about those time when you’ve caught yourself just taking a deep breath. Have you noticed how that can actually impact your reaction to that situation? And, in some cases, it’s sort of an emotional release.
I’ve been an on/off meditator. Those days that I find myself imbalanced, I’ll certainly lean into taking a 5-15 minute meditation. Buuuuuuut, there are times when, quite frankly, we want something quick but just a impactful.
That’s why I love the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique.
Let’s start with the fact that you can do it anytime, anywhere, and in under a minute (although I recommend longer).
But, lets getting to the nitty gritty.
The fact of the matter is that long, deep, luxurious breaths have the the ability to calm our parasympathetic nervous system that normally gets “jacked” in stressful situations.
When that nervous system gets over-stimulated, it causes our stress-hormone cortisol to become elevated as well. Well elevated levels of cortisol leads to mid-section weight gain, cravings for sugar/refined carbohydrates, and inadequate sleep. That’s not my idea of a good time.
This technique is also beneficial for improving sleep too!
I’ll walk you through the whole technique in this quick video below:
