December 2019
The Power of Breath
12/29/19 Filed in: Wellbeing
"The importance of breathing can hardly be stressed. It provides the oxygen needed for the metabolic processes; literally it supports the fires of life."
Alexander Lowen ~ The Voice of the Body
Our breath is our companion, accompanying us from the time we first enter the world, to the time we leave it. Yet, how many of us take our breath for granted, forgetting that awareness and regulation of our breath can reduce stress, improve health, increase vitality and even slow down the aging process.
When you observe infants and very young children, you can see their breathing is diaphragmatic and their inhalations and exhalations are full and natural. But soon, due to trauma or simply to familial and societal conditioning, often shallow, more constricted patterns of breathing begin to develop.
As we age, feelings of anxiety and stress continue to create suppression of our breath. And the repression of our emotions, as well as our sedentary life styles add to this pattern. How many of us have noticed, when we put our attention on it, that we have been holding or suppressing our breath at various points throughout the day?
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Alexander Lowen ~ The Voice of the Body
Our breath is our companion, accompanying us from the time we first enter the world, to the time we leave it. Yet, how many of us take our breath for granted, forgetting that awareness and regulation of our breath can reduce stress, improve health, increase vitality and even slow down the aging process.
When you observe infants and very young children, you can see their breathing is diaphragmatic and their inhalations and exhalations are full and natural. But soon, due to trauma or simply to familial and societal conditioning, often shallow, more constricted patterns of breathing begin to develop.
As we age, feelings of anxiety and stress continue to create suppression of our breath. And the repression of our emotions, as well as our sedentary life styles add to this pattern. How many of us have noticed, when we put our attention on it, that we have been holding or suppressing our breath at various points throughout the day?
Read More…