We’ve heard it time and time again in frustration, in anger, in contemplation, in movement: take a deep breath. But no matter the situation or repetition, the magic of breathing deeply never seems to fade in helping us to feel grounded, calm and present.
With results like that, it is no wonder that I love integrating breath into the movement and workouts that I plan, especially with fluid movement such as the ones that we practice in M3. There is something magical about connecting breath with movement that helps to bring awareness and deeper focus to your body. It keeps your mind present in each moment.
Nonetheless, sometimes we need reminders to do something as natural as breathing.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
At Mindful Movement we believe that regardless of how much you sweat in your workout, how hard you pushed yourself, or how many calories you burned, the commitment that you made to spending 30 minutes breathing deeply is a life-changing and grounding effort that can only be accomplished by YOU. Deep breaths help you open up your posture, and when you open your posture, your mindset naturally shifts to a place of positivity.
Ready to join me in this positive headspace? Great. Take a deep breath and try integrating these 5 breathing tricks into your workout today.
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Photo by Emma Reaney
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
During your warm up, breathe in and fill up your lungs as full as they can go. Open up your posture, and breathe out into your feet, feeling where you are in space. This will get you dialed in for what’s to come. If you are having trouble focusing on moving the oxygen and good vibes in your feet, try wiggling your toes as you exhale to help you bring awareness to your feet.
Photo by Emma Reaney
2. Breathe in to find length and breathe out to find strength.
In any type of exercise or workout, there is benefit to improving your alignment. When you take a breath in, think of finding length in your spine, and as you exhale think of the strength supporting that length. For example, if you were laying on your back for abdominal work, inhale your spine long, and exhale engaging your back body muscles downward into the ground to find stability.
3. Breathe with repetitive movements.
If you are repeating a move, connect your breath evenly- inhale move - exhale move. When you’re doing a movement over and over again, it is easy for your mind to shift to your to-do list, or to think about something that happened yesterday. This, of course, is normal! When you notice that happening, come back to your breath and watch how it helps you re-focus.
Photo by Emma Reaney
4. Breathe in to find space, exhale to release.
When you are cooling down at the end of the workout, use your breath to celebrate and let go. Inhale all of the positive energy you have just created and use it as a celebration of the fact that you moved your body today. Exhale anything you need to let go of. Sometimes you won’t have anything come to you. Sometimes you might shed a few tears for what seems like no reason at all. It’s all good, keep breathing into it and lean into your exhales as a release for letting go of anything that comes to the surface.
Photo by Emma Reaney
5. Breathe loud and take up space.
I think that there’s something really special about practicing and moving in your own space. When you are at home, you are comfortable, familiar with the energy, and you, hopefully, can feel grounded more easily. Breathe loud, take up space, and get comfortable in your bubble of energy. This time spent moving and breathing is for you and you only so do it in a way that feels good to you.
Our bodies are meant to move, and our breath is a gift. If we can connect with this on a regular basis it can be a transforming part of our day-to-day life.
