Breathe In Breathe Out
When did we forget to breathe? It seems to me that breathing should be a fairly natural, intuitive action. But somehow, for me, my body has become habituated to short and shallow pug-like breaths. It’s not complicated. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. Simple, but not necessarily easy.
I hold my breath.
A lot.
When I worry about my grandma.
When I look at my ridiculous to do list.
When I chop vegetables.
I think I might be holding my breath right now actually.
I became very aware of this in Boulder at Kia’s Yoga class. At the beginning of the class, I thought, “I can’t breathe. Weird. Why is breathing so hard for me?” I spent the class being especially mindful of this, deepening the inhale, stretching and pushing the exhale. And by the end of the class, my breathing was much more complete and relaxed. It felt great!
I came home and quickly forgot. Yes, my pug like breathing returned.
I remembered again when I took another yoga class, and I thought, “I can’t breathe. Weird…”
Sound familiar? I’m a quick forgetter.
I’m actually wondering if it’s the BREATHING part that has me so attracted to swimming. Because let’s face it – our breathing in the pool has to be quite purposeful, right?
Just like I eat breakfast and drink water, today I will breathe in and breathe out. And I will repeat this, at least a few times…
Fully and deeply.
On purpose.
Music to Remember the Breathe In, Breath Out Part of Life
- Simon & Garfunkel :: Bookends
- Sheryl Crow :: Home
- Joni Mitchell :: For Free
- Annie Lennox :: Cold
- Nina Simone :: I Loves You Porgy
- Eva Cassidy :: Time After Time
- James Taylor :: You Can Close Your Eyes
Funny you should ask because last night I was laying in bed thinking that I had once again forgotten to even attempt any form of meditation. So I tried breathing. And counting my breathes. And suddenly felt like I could not get enough air. It was very odd. How ridiculous that I could not breathe normally. Certainly made me wonder what was going on in my head at that moment.
Karen@WaistingTime recently posted..Cereal Killer
oh yes – the head does interfere with the breathing… sooooo strange!
This is totally me. I was misdiagnosed with depression for most of my life but once I was off the meds I realized it wasn’t depression–it was anxiety. I’m a compulsive worrier. If there’s something to stress out about, I’ll stress out about. Are the doors locked? Is my car tire flat? Am I going to be fired at work? Is the house going to catch fire? It’s all irrational and all related to anxiety. I found that I was constantly holding my breathe too. I need to be reminded to relax.
Lisa recently posted..Starting Over
breathing is one of the best calmers.. for me anyway… I forget all the time (like a hundred times a day) – hmmm – will you remind me? Thanks for sharing Lisa! Blessings!
I so need to breathe right now. I’m very stressed at work. Thanks for the reminder, and yes, breathing is hard for me too!
Its funny because I KNOW you breathe during exercise, right? Geesh… remembering the discipline when we’re not pressing or curling….
Oh wow..I think I DO forget to breathe all the time. I realized I was kinda holding my breath when I was reading this.
Thanks for this! now..i Just have to remember to BREATHE..
ragemichelle recently posted..Ten Commandments According To Me
note to self..
BREATHE!
uh…
how do I forget?
I hold my breath too! Or breathe so shallowly that suddenly there is no choice but to take one of those Oh-My-God-I’m-Almost-Drowning DDEEEEEEEEPPP breathes. Then I forget it all over again.
How did I survive so long without breathing?
I hear you.. I forget it more often than I remember – I think I’m gasping right now!
just finished a “photo shoot” and realized I don’t breathe while taking photos. at all. I don’t think I ever learned how to breathe, actually – I did one on one yoga for a while to learn, but I guess I’m a forgetter too :)
thanks for the reminder… BREATHE!
Kristina @ spabettie recently posted..Joss & Main giveaway
I was just thinking of you too! I totally hold my breathe while clicking on the camera… I’m justifying that one though, hoping for a relatively focused shot – ha!
I focus on my breathing when I run. The rest of the time, I probably am holding my breath, especicallt when my daughter calls ….
Coco recently posted..(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (The Harsh Edition)
dang spawn… we gave them life and they knock the wind right out of us.
sigh…
You know it’s funny, I was thinking this last night when I went swimming last night (FIRST TIME SINCE HIGH SCHOOL!!!), “wow, breathing is so much more complicated all of a sudden.” Of course, moving my arms AND my legs seemed pretty complicated too. Clearly I need to swim more.
Sasha recently posted..My Little Voice
you crack me up! yes, breathing in the pool, i have found, is quite important… it usually takes me a while but I EVENTUALLY relax a bit (including the breathing) – it is much easier then – ha!
Whenever I play my clarinet I think about breathing, but sometimes when I’m doing my weights or something else physical I find myself holding my breath. Not good.
Diane Fit to the Finish recently posted..What’s the Root of Your Struggles with Weight?
I’m finding this is a very big theme right now… sigh… I would imagine that breathing during woodwind playing would be important – ha!
So funny, I just found your website and this was the first post I read. I also have SUCH a hard time remembering to breathe!! I work out, I run, I swim, but ALL the time I catch myself forgetting to breathe, which makes each of the above activities SOO much harder. Thanks for the reminder for today!