Take your Mind Meds - simply 3 x 5 minutes per day
🌬 BREATH WORK
This short vid is a basic breath work exercise that is one of my favourites - and it takes less than 5 minutes!
This is quite different to that of “mindful breathing” where you simply observe your natural breath. With breath work like this you are altering and forcing a certain way of breathing.
* Please note that this breath work practice is not suitable for pregnant women, people with high blood pressure and people with other health complications. If in doubt please consult your health care professional.
Benefits of breathwork:
- Reduces feelings of stress and anxiety
- Enhances focus and mental clarity
- Puts you in a state of experiencing a host of physical sensations rather than your default “thinking state” (where stress, anxiety and overwhelm exist)
- Enhances oxytocin (love hormone)
- Increases blood circulation
- Decreases inflammation
- Improves immunity
How to:
- Sit in a comfortable yet alert position without a back support
- Take 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 15 seconds after the exhale
- Take another 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 30 seconds after the exhale
- Take a final 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 45 seconds after the exhale
- Take a 4 second breath in via the nose, hold for 4 seconds, then take 8 seconds to exhale via the mouth (repeat this last step for 3 breaths)
- Allow your breath to return to it’s natural rhythm
> If you can’t hold your breath after the exhale for the 15,30 and 45 seconds, just hold it as long as you can before you return to the 15 deep belly breaths.
Notice and feel into the hyper sensitive physical state your body is now in - embrace the tingles! Feel the energy pulsing throughout your body.
Congrats!
You just completed your first breath work practice.
This short vid is a basic breath work exercise that is one of my favourites - and it takes less than 5 minutes!
This is quite different to that of “mindful breathing” where you simply observe your natural breath. With breath work like this you are altering and forcing a certain way of breathing.
* Please note that this breath work practice is not suitable for pregnant women, people with high blood pressure and people with other health complications. If in doubt please consult your health care professional.
Benefits of breathwork:
- Reduces feelings of stress and anxiety
- Enhances focus and mental clarity
- Puts you in a state of experiencing a host of physical sensations rather than your default “thinking state” (where stress, anxiety and overwhelm exist)
- Enhances oxytocin (love hormone)
- Increases blood circulation
- Decreases inflammation
- Improves immunity
How to:
- Sit in a comfortable yet alert position without a back support
- Take 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 15 seconds after the exhale
- Take another 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 30 seconds after the exhale
- Take a final 15 deep belly breaths in and out through the mouth
- Hold for 45 seconds after the exhale
- Take a 4 second breath in via the nose, hold for 4 seconds, then take 8 seconds to exhale via the mouth (repeat this last step for 3 breaths)
- Allow your breath to return to it’s natural rhythm
> If you can’t hold your breath after the exhale for the 15,30 and 45 seconds, just hold it as long as you can before you return to the 15 deep belly breaths.
Notice and feel into the hyper sensitive physical state your body is now in - embrace the tingles! Feel the energy pulsing throughout your body.
Congrats!
You just completed your first breath work practice.
🙏🏼 GRATITUDE
As you go about your day (and your life for that matter) you will experience both positive and negative things - pending your perspective.
So often we subconsciously view our lives through a lens that casts a negative shadow over things - amplifying small negatives and diminishing any positives.
At lunch time (or another suitable time during your day when you have 5 minutes), ask yourself the question “what is going well in my life?”
Note to yourself 3 things that are going well in your life - they may be in your life in general, in your day or even in that particular moment.
They may be big things - “I am getting married on the weekend.”
Or they may be relatively small things - “I was able to take my dog for a walk this morning before the rain hit”
This may seem so very simple - yet the act of bringing awareness to these things helps shift your perspective from what may often be subconsciously skewed to the negative.
Gratitude is arguably one of the most critical components of happiness.
There is good in even the most fucked up day. This isn’t about faking or creating the good stuff, it’s simply about noticing it and hence being MINDFUL of the good moments in your daily life.
Cultivating the habit of daily gratitude is an absolute GAME-CHANGER!
As you go about your day (and your life for that matter) you will experience both positive and negative things - pending your perspective.
So often we subconsciously view our lives through a lens that casts a negative shadow over things - amplifying small negatives and diminishing any positives.
At lunch time (or another suitable time during your day when you have 5 minutes), ask yourself the question “what is going well in my life?”
Note to yourself 3 things that are going well in your life - they may be in your life in general, in your day or even in that particular moment.
They may be big things - “I am getting married on the weekend.”
Or they may be relatively small things - “I was able to take my dog for a walk this morning before the rain hit”
This may seem so very simple - yet the act of bringing awareness to these things helps shift your perspective from what may often be subconsciously skewed to the negative.
Gratitude is arguably one of the most critical components of happiness.
There is good in even the most fucked up day. This isn’t about faking or creating the good stuff, it’s simply about noticing it and hence being MINDFUL of the good moments in your daily life.
Cultivating the habit of daily gratitude is an absolute GAME-CHANGER!
😴 SLEEP PRIMER
Often our days are filled with what seems like a never ending “to-do list”. This can result in our brains becoming inundated with thoughts, concerns and yep - more things to do! When your head hits the pillow in this state it’s unlikely that decent sleep is on the way.
The quality of your sleep is crucial to both your physical and mental health.
This meditation will calm your mind and body and put you in a state of relaxation - ready for a good night’s sleep.
Enjoy the zzzzzzzz’s
Often our days are filled with what seems like a never ending “to-do list”. This can result in our brains becoming inundated with thoughts, concerns and yep - more things to do! When your head hits the pillow in this state it’s unlikely that decent sleep is on the way.
The quality of your sleep is crucial to both your physical and mental health.
This meditation will calm your mind and body and put you in a state of relaxation - ready for a good night’s sleep.
Enjoy the zzzzzzzz’s
| Sleep Primer - body relaxation |