A SIMPLE BREATHING AND YOGA ROUTINE TO BEAT STRESS

Did you ever notice how your breathing changes whenever you are under stress? It does. For me, it becomes shallower and more rapid. When I’m not stressed, my breathing is deep, full, and slow.
I also believe the opposite is true. For me, if I’m under stress and begin taking full deep breaths, I am able to alleviate the feeling of being stressed. Now if that is the case, it makes sense that if we change the way we breathe, we will experience less stress. Like all things though it takes some practice. You don’t just all of a sudden become skilled and mindful enough to start taking full deep breaths when under stress. Your body needs to learn to do that and it takes some practice and some time. This week we’ll begin with a short morning routine that will help your breathing and carry over into your day and hopefully provide a less stressful experience throughout your day.
The following routine is one I use frequently. It’s my bare minimum of movement and breath on a daily basis and helps me maintain my capacity to handle whatever stress I may face in any given day.
ROUTINE: DEEP FALLING OUT BREATHING WITH BODY MOVEMENT
TIME REQUIRED: 10 Minutes
FREQUENCY: Practice daily, preferably first think in the morning on getting out of bed.
EXERCISE 1: Swinging Twist
This exercise is meant to be done with a “who cares” and a “let loose” approach. Begin standing with your arms hanging loosely by your sides and your feet planted firmly on the floor a little wider apart than your hips but not too wide, and your knees slightly bent. Take a deep breath and let it fall out. (Notice we do that a LOT and always at the beginning and end of posture or exercise.) Begin to SWIVEL from your HIPS - to the left as far as they go and then back to the right as far as they go and then back and forth, left and right, in a slow swiveling movement. As your hips swivel let your arms follow the motion and begin swinging in the same rhythm as your hips and wrapping them around your body as they go. Next, bring the breath into it as well by letting out a loud “Haaaaahh” as you fully exhale every time end a swing to either the left or right. (Notice that you are being encouraged to MAKE NOISES in your yoga practice. Sound is a perfectly natural accompaniment to body movement and particularly to anything you are doing that helps you to RELEASE any tension that your body may be holding. So go for it. Make some noise. . So you are now swiveling your hips left and right, swinging your arms across the front of your body on each swivel movement and you are letting out a loud “Haaaaahh” with each out breath every time you swing one way or the other. There is one more thing. As you swing also follow the movement with your head and eyes turning it all the way around to the left as you swing left and right as you swing right. Look back into the far corners of the room behind you seeing how far around you can look each time. This brings your neck into the exercise along with your torso. What is great about the Swinging Twist from a physical perspective is that it rotates your whole spine on its axis from the pelvis all the way up to the neck. Remember, a “who cares’ as well as a “let loose” attitude.
So keep going with the Swinging Twist for about twenty complete rounds and then begin to slow it down, taking another four or five swings to do that. Let it end by standing in stillness with your eyes closed and noticing your breath. Observe what’s happening now for you – your breath, your feelings, and your thoughts.
EXERCISE 2: Buckets of Paint
This exercise can be modified to suit your level of flexibility. If it’s too much for you as described here, simply modify to suit your body by lessening the amount of movement but keeping the same deep level of breathing.
Stand with feet a little wider than hip width apart. Bend forward and bend your knees so your hands can come to about a foot above the floor. Imagine that either side of you, just in front and to the side of your feet, is a bucket of paint. Imagine you are picking up a bucket in each hand by its handle. Raise each bucket up and above your head, standing to straight up standing position as you do. Take a deep breath in. Then as you continue to hold on to the buckets, let them drop back to where they were on the floor as you exhale a huge breath with a “Haaaaaa” sound. Then start another cycle. Breathe in as you lift the heavy buckets above your head and exhale as you drop them forward, bending your knees as you go. Continue for about 10 cycles then return the buckets to the floor and slowly rise up to a standing position. Be still with eyes closed for a moment or two and notice what’s happening now for you – your breath, your feelings, and your thoughts.
EXERCISE 3: Monkey Side Bends
Have you ever seen a monkey rock from side to side while scratching under each armpit? Well this exercise is a variation of that. Begin by standing with feet a little wider than hip width apart. Imagine your body is being flattened slightly by being pressed between two panes of glass and will stay in this plane as you move from side to side. Let you body bend over to the left side as you bring your right fist up under your right armpit. Then come up to standing as you transfer the right arm down towards you right knee and your left fist comes up under your left armpit. Continue going from side to side but there is one more very important piece – in fact it’s the most important part. As you raise each fist up under each armpit breath IN though your nose, and as you come through the vertical position in transition breath OUT through your mouth with a “Haaaa”. This results in fairly rapid but deep breathing as you “monkey” from side to side. Continue for 20 repetitions once you’ve established the breathing with the movement.
EXERCISE 4: Supported Forward Bend with Falling Out Breath.
Use your bed or a chair or table for support. Reach forward for the bed, table or chair and let your body hang forward but supported by your hands on the prop in front of you. For the first SURRENDER part of the posture, bend your knees slightly so that you can just HANG in a relaxed way without any stretch happening. For the ENGAGEMENT of the posture simply straighten your legs to engage a hamstring stretch at the same time straightening your arms by walking back a little from your support. You may also notice a stretch around your shoulders as well as in your hamstrings.
Bring BREATH into the exercise by breathing IN as you straighten your legs and engage the stretch and by breathing OUT with a “Haaaa” as you release the stretch. Continue for 10 repetitions.
Then, just hang again for a few breaths before slowly returning to a standing position.
And THAT’S ALL!
Do these four little exercises each morning for a week and see if it makes a difference to your days.