Increasing Awareness Through Breath: The Place Your Journey Starts

by | Apr 6, 2021 | Fitness

Awareness and Breath: The Place Your Journey Starts

I’ve been leading workshops to talk about physical movement and how to stay strong and healthy for many years. This is based on personal experience: I’ve been through some major accidents in my life! At 19 years old I had a major car accident, broke my femur, cracked two ribs, and suffered a pulmonary embolism. Then three years later I got a major whiplash from another car accident. Not even a year later I got hit by a 10-wheel truck while I was biking and got thrown onto the sidewalk. I’ve also been hit by a pickup truck at the ferry terminal and suffered a lot of “littler” accidents. I am sharing this with you so that you understand that I’ve been through the cycle of pain and have had to learn how to get stronger after all these accidents.

A lot of people have asked me:

  • How can I stop feeling pain in my body?
  • Prevent injuries?
  • Improve my posture?
  • Feel strong and healthy?

Increasing awareness through breath

With all my years of experience healing myself and helping others, I come to believe that the answers to all these questions is increasing awareness. There is no shortcut to improve your posture, feel strong and healthy, prevent injuries, you need to increase your level of awareness. Lot of people make the same mistakes, they will do exercises and stretches, but then in their daily life, they’ll end up standing on one leg, rounding their back, pushing their head forward, or slouching.

Try this to improve your breathing habits

Sit or stand with your spine erect. Put your hands on your belly, breathe in through your nose, letting your belly release out, and your rib cage expand in the front, sides, and back. Feel your chest lifting at the end of the inhale. Exhale, pulling the belly in and up, let your rib cage move in, and let your chest lower. Practice this slow, full, deep breathing as often as you can remember. Always breathe through your nose if you can.

If you want to feel better, be present and increase your awareness

As a yoga instructor, I see tremendous value in connecting with the breath to increase awareness, to anchor yourself to the present moment. Then practice awareness of your posture, the way you sit, stand, and move. I make a practice of being in my body, to know where the weight of my body is, to make sure I lengthen my spine, to stack my bones as they are designed to be so my muscles can relax and not be strained by poor posture. When you are present in your body and increase awareness, you set yourself up for success. For me that is the key, and the strong start of your journey through awareness and breath.

Let me know your thoughts, and the experiences you’ve had using breathing techniques to help increase your awareness.

I offer online pre-recorded lessons that you can do at your own pace and at your own time.

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