by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
Deep, slow, rhythmic breathing is a powerful tool when it comes to stress, anxiety and overwhelm. And I get it. Your life is complex, and you have demands being batted at you from all corners of the universe, figuratively, and now thanks to the internet, literally as well. [Thank you Internet]
So, advocating something so simple and as commonplace as breathing is almost insulting. Please accept my apologies, I have no desire to insult you.
But I am not one to argue with science, and numerous studies have found that deep breathing induces a state of tranquillity. The best part is, you can get started right now; and it will cost you nothing; and no-one even needs to become aware of what you’re doing, because hey! They’re breathing too!
So here we go.
Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart, then inhale in through your nose and deeply into your belly for five full seconds. Hold your breath for five seconds or for as long as Is comfortable for you.
Then exhale slowly through your mouth for another five full seconds.
Try ten breaths this way, with your eyes either closed or gently fix on a spot slightly ahead of you.
You may gain awareness of any tension or resistance in your body. With your imagination see the tension slowly dripping from you like warm wax.
When you’ve completed a round of deep breathing, you can simply return to normal breathing and step away from the gooey wax of stress that dripped from you.
So simple, and you can do this as frequently as you need to.
Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie is a life coach, based in South Africa. She helps high achieving, ambitious women to create impactful careers without sacrificing their well-being, themselves, their relationships, and quality of life. She helps women to beat burnout and to thrive. Having worked in the corporate world for 20 years, most of these in complex leadership roles whilst raising two children, she understands the demands being juggled by professional women, both in their professional and personal lives. Today, she wants to share those learnings with other women through her personal coaching and training.
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