Why is breathing so incredibly difficult?
Wait, what did Christy just write? Breathing isn’t difficult.
Actually, breathing for most people is very difficult indeed. I have spent 90 minutes with a CEO of a Fortune 100 company helping him learn to breathe. He held his breath constantly… and didn’t even realize it. Holding one’s breath contributes to higher levels of stress, causing the stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) to rise even higher and shunting your blood away from your vital organs to your muscles, as your body will then think you are in fight or flight mode.
Just this morning, a client of mine just would not breathe while doing her exercises.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale….
I had to remind her every repetition which is not usually like her. She usually brings a near-Zen approach to her workouts even if they are hard. But with family, travel, and work stress, breathing gets pushed to the wayside.
Today, just breathe. Take 5 minutes to sit and close your eyes and just breathe. Take your train ride to work and just breathe. Turn your phone on silent… or even OFF. Wow. Imagine how that would feel?
Just breathe. For your health.
