By Jade Doherty
In need of deep relaxation and long-term stress reduction? Find out how meditation, relaxation, and breathing go hand-in-hand.
Hands up, who often feels stressed?
Ah- that looks like most of us!
Stress is so common in our lives, from the occasional stress and anxiety we feel in high-pressure situations to a more long-term, chronic form of anxiety and stress we experience that is always there, sometimes in the background, sometimes in the foreground, but nevertheless has us feeling overstimulated and on edge.
So we do what we can. We take a nice bath, or we watch our favorite movie.
These can be great ways to reduce stress in the short-term. If it's been a busy week, a relaxing evening and a long, hot bath can put you back on track.
But what of the more chronic stress? The ongoing stress that just starts to feel normal, until you can't remember what it was like to feel calm and relaxed?
Wine, baths, and treats might take the edge off, but don't really solve the challenge of the stress that you feel.
Humans weren't designed to feel stress and anxiety all the time. Little bursts are ok, but too much stress starts to have a really detrimental impact. Stress can activate the “flight or fight” response. This is appropriate if there is something that requires your immediate attention and fast action. But this “fight or flight” is not sustainable. It’s like sprinting, all the time, and when we’re chronically in this state it starts to wear us down.
You might find you can't sleep, that your mind is always busy, and you might even be experiencing physical symptoms like high blood pressure.
That's where meditation comes in. A meditation practice can both take the edge off, and be a long-term solution to chronic stress.
But doesn't relaxing mean I'm lazy?
We often have relaxation identified with not doing anything. Almost like it's a choice of being relaxed and lazy, or stressed and active.
What if relaxation wasn't a thing that you did, but a way or state of being?
When you see spiritual leaders like Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, they are very active. They're nearly always doing something, and yet they are so relaxed in the midst of this activity. They're calm and experience great inner peace, and move with a grace that to me is somehow both fast and slow at the same time.
They are both active and in a deep state of relaxation.
Come what may, they're calm. Disaster strikes and they're calm. Success is achieved, and still, they're calm.
This is possible for you too!
To be relaxed and calm whilst being active and busy. And to feel alert and aware whilst you chill out, rather than collapsing after a long day’s work.
Meditation and relaxation
Meditation is the best tool we have available to experience this sustainable, deep relaxation.
This is no offense to long baths, or Netflix (or however else you might unwind) - but when it comes to long-term solutions to stress, meditation is hard to beat.
Meditation allows us to reset, reconnect, and find stability within ourselves.
Now, I know what you might be thinking.
That you've tried, and it hasn't worked!
Maybe you sit down to meditate and your mind gets so busy that you actually feel more stressed!
Or perhaps you meditated for a while and had a meditation practice, but after some time found it difficult to sustain. You don't have time, the kids need you, your boss is calling.
Many people try meditation without enough guidance, and as such of course they find it difficult! Learning anything without support and help would be difficult!
Imagine hearing about salsa dancing, and then just trying to do it by yourself! It wouldn't work very well.
There are so many tools and meditation techniques that exist and can make meditation much easier, much more beneficial, and more enjoyable. Basically, there's a breathing technique for any challenge!
Meditation and the breath
One of the best and easiest ways to meditate is by using the breath.
There is a connection between your breath, your mind, and the way you feel.
In fact, every emotion has a corresponding breathing pattern, and by understanding these patterns you can not only feel less stressed in general but also have tools to regain your calm when you do feel stressed out.
Many people are missing the breathing element when it comes to their meditation practice, and while that's not to say that meditation without breathing exercises doesn't work (of course not!) it is to say that breathing exercises can firstly make meditation easier and secondly have many benefits.
The benefits of breathing exercises
There are so many benefits of breath-based meditation. In recent studies on SKY Breath Meditation (more about that later!) it was found that SKY could:
Reduce stress
Reduce anxiety
Improve mental health
Increase social connectedness
Increase positive emotions
Increase mindfulness
Not to mention other benefits including reducing blood pressure, calming your nervous system, improving sleep, and feeling more present and focussed.
Think of your breath as the key, and the breathing pattern as the code to activate the state you wish to experience.
Breathing exercises to try at home
OK, so we've talked about the benefits of breathing, breath-based meditation, and how they can help you to reduce stress and experience deeper relaxation and calm.
But how do you actually do it?!
Here are 3 meditation relaxation techniques that you can try today.
1. Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing
Most of us breathe quickly and shallowly, focusing our breath on our chests. When we breathe slower and deeper into our bellies, we actually relax and calm down.
Deep breathing is an amazing way to create a state of relaxation.
Try it: Lie on your back, and put your hands on your lower belly. Breath slowly and gently through your nose, directing your breath "into" your belly so that it's your belly that rises and falls rather than your chest.
You might like to add a count, breathing in for a count of 6 and out for a count of 6. If you really want to increase the relaxation, try extending your exhale, so your exhale is longer than the inhale.
Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is another great tool to reduce stress. Similar to abdominal breathing, it is a deep breathing exercise.
Try it: Lying on your back or sitting up comfortably, breath slowly and gently through your nose. We will be working with a count of four, such that you breath in for a count of four, hold the breath (on the inhale) for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four, and hold (on the exhale) for a count of four.
So, four in, hold for four, out for four, and hold for four, completing the box or the square. Do this 10-15 times.
Also known as Brahmani pranayama, bee breathing is another wonderful form of stress relief.
Try it: Sit in a comfortable, upright position, and place your index fingers on the outer part of your ears. Breath in gently and deeply through your nose, and hold for a moment. Now, gently press your index fingers onto the outer cartilage of your ear, closing the ear canal. Slowly exhale through the nose, making a humming sound (like a bee!). You should feel vibrations in the back of your throat. Unplug your ears, and repeat. Do this 10-15 times to feel the benefits.
Any or all of these techniques can be a great addition to your life and meditation practice. You might like to use them when you need to feel peaceful before you go to sleep, or even to practice one for a few minutes before starting your normal meditation technique.
Want to go deeper?
If you're ready to go deeper and want to experience a profound, sustainable sense of relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, and learn to meditate in a way that is fun, easy, and will have long-lasting benefits for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, then you will love SKY Breath Meditation!
Created by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, SKY is evidence-based and gives you the best of ancient practices for your modern life.
To give you an introduction to SKY, we are thrilled to invite you to join Beyond Breath. A free, online workshop where a skilled Art of Living instructor will guide you through a breath-based meditation technique, and introduce you to the benefits of SKY, what to expect on the full course, and how it will change your life and practice.
Click below to get started and join Beyond Breath for free, and discover a deeper sense of relaxation.
Jade Doherty is a freelance copywriter, meditator, and traveler, who is currently exploring and learning to surf in Goa, India.
