There is a song I like by Alexi Murdoch called "Breathe". The refrain is Don't Forget to Breathe and after listening to it over and over sometimes I get it stuck in my head. As bad as that might sound it is actually good advice, so there are worse things that could be stuck there.
I am a recreational tennis player. When I am not playing as well as I should I make little adjustments to try and improve my game. Last weekend I was playing in a match and in one such moment I reminded myself to breathe before starting a point. What often happens when I am about to serve or am receiving a serve is I tense up in anticipation and then tend to overplay a particular point. By focusing on my breathing I found that I relaxed and started to play better. As you might imagine this concept has broader applications than tennis or sports.
In my yoga classes our instructor has us focus on a three part breath called dirga pranayama. Basically, you focus your attention on your breath as it 1) starts in your abdomen 2) expands your ribs and finally 3) fills your lungs fully. Exhale and repeat. On one level, it is ridiculous to focus on breathing since you cannot make yourself stop breathing for more than about a minute. After that, your body takes over and forces you to breathe in order to stay alive. Sometimes when I focus on my breathing I start to freak myself out because I am artificially interfering with something that I otherwise do naturally, without thought.
However, what sustained three part breathing eliminates is shallow breathing which we tend to do under stress. After several minutes of focused , conscious deep breathing, I almost always feel better, more refreshed and alive. So whether it is a tennis match, an important meeting at work or just walking around the grocery store shopping, don't forget to breathe.
I am a recreational tennis player. When I am not playing as well as I should I make little adjustments to try and improve my game. Last weekend I was playing in a match and in one such moment I reminded myself to breathe before starting a point. What often happens when I am about to serve or am receiving a serve is I tense up in anticipation and then tend to overplay a particular point. By focusing on my breathing I found that I relaxed and started to play better. As you might imagine this concept has broader applications than tennis or sports.
In my yoga classes our instructor has us focus on a three part breath called dirga pranayama. Basically, you focus your attention on your breath as it 1) starts in your abdomen 2) expands your ribs and finally 3) fills your lungs fully. Exhale and repeat. On one level, it is ridiculous to focus on breathing since you cannot make yourself stop breathing for more than about a minute. After that, your body takes over and forces you to breathe in order to stay alive. Sometimes when I focus on my breathing I start to freak myself out because I am artificially interfering with something that I otherwise do naturally, without thought.
However, what sustained three part breathing eliminates is shallow breathing which we tend to do under stress. After several minutes of focused , conscious deep breathing, I almost always feel better, more refreshed and alive. So whether it is a tennis match, an important meeting at work or just walking around the grocery store shopping, don't forget to breathe.
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