Just Breathe ..

(Pic: Note To Self Just Breathe by Holly2007)

My first meditation instruction occured when I was a teenager .. and it was all about the breath. 

Using the breath as our anchorin meditation is what I call a 'foundation practice' .. providing a solid foundation of focus and awareness before we move into other meditation practices.  

The breath is an ideal anchor .. it is readily available to us (you don't need to remember to bring your breath with you to meditation class!) and is a great biofeedback tool (so you know how you are travelling in any moment).  Using the breath to balance body and mind is an ancient practice (in yoga called pranayama or breath mastery) and many of our Meditative Exercises that we learn in class are based on these tried and tested practices. 

Incorrect or inefficient breathing makes us feel anxious, tired, foggy in the mind and distracted.

Good breathing (diaphragmatic) makes us feel more at ease at it restores our body's natural regulatory system .. 'feeding' the brain with vital oxygen which is often the reason behind that foggy, distracted feeling.

Great to see the breath a mainstream article on the breathe in this weeks The Age

"Moving your diaphragm when you breathe communicates to every cell of your body that you are 'safe'," says biochemist and author, Dr Libby Weaver.