Try This 5-Minute Breathing Technique To Calm The Body & Mind
TESS PATRICK
Find yourself rushing from place to place, only remembering to breathe as you flop into bed in the evenings? Or perhaps your stress is more internal, with a mind distracted by worry, distress, and concern… It turns out that everything you need to come back to calm already exists within you.
Pranayama is an ancient technique that refers to practicing the breath. It’s in the same realm as meditation and mindfulness but is perhaps closest to breathwork in the description. On a physical level, this simple practice works to strengthen the respiratory organs, while encouraging rejuvenation throughout the body. It can also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which counters time spent in ‘fight or flight' mode.
Paying close attention to the breath also allows the rest of the world to drop away, providing instantaneous relief from stress and overwhelm, while offering the opportunity for spiritual connection.
Join Ashley Aiken-Redon in this life-changing breath refresher. You can practice this simple sequence daily to observe lasting benefits but also keep it nearby for moments of panic and stress, where all you need is the opportunity to come back to self.
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Tess has brought together her background in journalism and communications and her passion for nutrition to add to the Food Matters team. Her time is spent dreaming up new articles, researching the latest in nutrition news, and engaging with you, our readers. When she’s not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, you’ll find her trying to catch a wave, catching up on her nutrition and naturopathy studies, or hanging out with her cat, Salem.