Stress and Deep Breathing Exercises

Hello everyone! I hope as this semester kicks off everyone is doing a good job of taking care of themselves and managing stress.

Personally I am beginning to feel the stress of the impending workload upon us students. I thought I would list a deep breathing exercise that I personally have found helpful when you think about all of your assignments and just want to take a nap or marathon Netflix bc how on earth is all that work possible.

Mindful Breathing

Sit quietly in a chair with both feet on the ground and your hands in your lap. Allow
yourself to feel centred in the chair. Bring all of your attention to the physical act of
breathing. Start to notice the breath as it enters your body through your nose and travels
to your lungs. Notice with curiosity whether the inward and outward breaths are cool or
warm, and notice where the breath travels as it enters and departs.

Also notice the breath as your lungs relax and you inhale through your nose. Don’t try to do
anything with your breathing – simply notice it, pay attention to it and be aware of it. It
doesn’t matter if your breathing is slow or fast, deep or shallow; it just is what it is. Allow
your body to do what it does naturally.

You will start to notice that each time you breathe in, your diaphragm or stomach will
expand… and each time you breathe out your diaphragm or stomach will relax. Again,
don’t try to do anything – just be aware of the physical sensations of breathing in and
breathing out. If you find that thoughts intrude, this is okay. Don’t worry, just notice the
thoughts, allow them to be, and gently bring your awareness back to your breath.

Start this exercise initially for 5 minutes, building up daily. You can also do this exercise
lying down in bed if you have difficulty sleeping. It is simply a way of allowing you to have
more mindful and conscious awareness of your body and its surroundings, its breathing and
its capacity to relax. When our breathing relaxes our muscles relax.

http://www.livingwell.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/5-BreathingMindfulness.pdf

http://www.psychalive.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/mindfulness-quote-jon-kabat-zinn.jpg