Breathe

Breathing, in and out.

Our breathe is something we have with us everyday and sometimes we don’t even stop to think how we take it for granted.

You may not notice how you hold your breath in moments of stress or how you take small shallow breaths in tension all day long.

I didn’t notice this of myself until 5 years ago that I started to recognize I was living with anxiety.
To me, it was “normal” for many years prior.
Little did I know the way I was living was completely abnormal - along with the tightness in my diaphragm and the tension in my body.
It was no way to live.

I was always active and ran or exercised, but nothing brought this awareness to me like yoga did.
It wasn’t until I began doing yoga daily to connect to my breath that I started to learn I was surviving off of small shallow breaths every day.

Connecting to my breath in yoga taught me to slow down, regain control, observe and assess. I was able to slow down enough to ask myself what was causing me to carry such tension...why the short breaths?

I came to learn sometimes it was just a bodily response conditioned by our task oriented and stress driven society. At other times, I came to learn the partner I chose at the time was just wrong for me and I was allowing it all to affect me. I had a choice to learn to set boundaries, check my circle, and use the tools that worked for me, yoga and art.

These tools helped me learn to gain control of my emotions and recognize my options in any given situation to assess what boundaries I needed to set to regain my peace. I revisit these tools daily in my arsenal of life and know my body now better than ever.

So when I feel my breath being thrown off, it’s time to stop, recollect, and get on the mat.

Otherwise, I’m using it to breathe in dreams and create the life I want!

There is power in your breath.
Notice it, connect to it, claim it, use it.

What is your breath telling you?