Is your breathing causing you stress?

Are you a mature woman interested in starting meditation?

When our bodies feel stressed out, they move into the fight-or-flight mode. Our breathing becomes shallow and short. This reaction dates back millions of years when a man faced danger, for example, a lion. Many functions are turned off during the fight-or-flight mode to prepare for battle. These turn off vital things like reproduction, digestion, creating more hunger, the quality of sleep, etc.

A simple breathing technique can help you return to a normal breathing state and restore your body's functions.

Easy breathing technique to relax.

The 2:1 breathing technique is a simple way to relax. It involves breathing in through the nose for a count of five and breathing out through the nose for a double count of 10.

To start the process, let's practise 1:1 breathing. That is, breathe in through your nose for a count of 5. Then, breathe out through your nose for a count of 5. Repeat three times.

Next, breathe in for a count of 5 through your nose, and then out through your nose for 10, several times or until your stress levels reduce.

Once you change to breathing more profoundly and for longer, you will return to rest and cease state and feel more relaxed.