Jedi Mind-Trick

Breathing and your Mind

You have been been breathing since you were born and it hasn’t necessarily worked out for you. So why are yoga instructors like me telling you to focus on the breath?

Key word- Focus

On purpose, put your attention on your breath. Move your awareness to your breath. This forces you to be present. Because a breath is only right now. You cannot take a breath in the past. You cannot take a breath in the future. Try it right now- take a breath Wednesday at 2pm. Told you.

“Mindfulness” and “Being present” have become almost throw away terms- yeah, yeah, I’m supposed to be mindful; it will make me a better person; present moment- got it… But what if practicing noticing your breath is a

Jedi Mind Trick

What if attention on a breath kept you from being sucked into the depths of your anxiety, your inner self-critic, your rumination about past mistakes or future worries? What if this practice could help you truly hear your child telling a story or remember someone’s name because you were actually paying attention?

Practice focusing on what’s happening now- your breath.

Focus. It is just about moving your awareness. And here, shifting from being in your head to managing something in your body. Taking control of an automatic process (we breathe without telling ourselves to breathe), and making it deliberate (we have access to changing the rate, depth, quality of our breathing). This is an amazingly empowering shift, taking the wheel on an autonomic process and intentionally modifying and managing it. Our physiology recognizes this too. Our phrenic nerve, which innervates the diaphragm, is stimulated through subtle, but deliberate shifts in breath length and depth, and also works in our favor to regulate our Nervous System, engaging the parasympthathetic (calming), and lowering intensity on the sympathetic (fight, fight, freeze, or stress response). This Nervous System regulation brings our body from a state of cortisol-rich stress hormone release to being flooded with dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Chronic release of cortisol is responsible for weight gain, sleep disturbance, headaches, inflammation, muscle weakness, even heart disease (references below).

So, how do we shift from being "in our heads"- re-hashing past hurts, sorrows, and scenarios; rehearsing future stories, worries, and anxieties, to focusing on our breath? Right now- practice- Inhale through your nose (notice how it feels in your body). Now intentionally Exhale, making the air come out slowly. If you want to count, make an inhale 4 seconds, and exhale 8 seconds. Keep paying attention. Inhale. Exhale. 

It almost sounds too simple. We want more. Technology and grit and programs. But simple is not always easy. This is still a discipline. It takes intention and tuning in to your mind. It takes precision and discipline. It takes practice. If you are a competitive athlete or type-A personality, all the better- this is training; it is your assignment; it is worth it.

I am here to tell you — it is worth it. I practiced yoga and “meditation” for over a decade. I heard these words, but didn’t really practice. I knew it. Only, I didn’t. I didn’t fully move through trauma and pain and anxiety until I really got it. I am a competitive athlete, and I am a perfectionist. So, I put my compulsiveness into awareness of this practice. And, it is truly a daily practice. I can’t imagine how I functioned before.

Jedi Mind Trick.

When you feel anxious, notice your breath. When you don’t like how you feel, notice your breath. When you are playing out that story for the 10,000th time, notice your breath. When you are in a cycle of relationship that is sliding downhill fast, notice your breath. When you are about to light a cigarette or react to a triggering email, notice your breath.

Practice. Jedi Mind Trick. Inhale. Exhale.

Let me know how it goes.

-Jessica