More Breath, Less Stress

Just Breathe

Meditation. We’ve all heard about it. When I was first told I should try meditation, I laughed. Hard. In my mind, meditation was for yogis and monks and anybody that lived and breathed the Hakuna Matata life. I didn't have the discipline to sit and "just be" to quiet my mind. I had no desire to try. I didn’t think it was for me or that I needed it. Honestly, I believed I was grounded enough that I didn't need to give it a try. No sir, not me...

But oh, how I needed it. If you've read my story, you have a good idea of the health challenges I have faced and am continuing to work on, and I am willing to be you can relate in many ways. Knowing my health journey, I would not be surprised if you thought to yourself, "Sam, you need to slow your roll wayyyy down and take deep, deep breaths." And you know what? You are right.

It took me some time to come around to it (aka I got desperate), but I finally took the plunge into the meditation world and oh my goodness, y'all. Not only did meditating help me to actually breathe better (my breathing was way too shallow), but it helped my tense muscles to loosen up and it quieted my mind. I’m not the first to say it is hard to not let your mind wander but, believe it or not, it is natural for your mind to do that. When, not if, your mind starts to wander while you meditate, just recognize that it’s happening and focus on finding your "happy place" again.

Please don't scold or speak negative thoughts to yourself when you begin thinking about your to-do list or the busy schedule you have to get back to. Be ok with your mind wandering and accept that it will most likely happen. With practice, you will come to find it is much easier to sit in silence and let go of the day's worries. I am not a meditation expert, nor would I ever claim to be, but I can testify to the goodness and wholeness it brings.

My health challenges have taught me how important it is to meditate, but it isn't just for people struggling with their health or stress. For one, we live in a noisy world and it is so hard these days to set aside quiet time or find a place where you can retreat to get away from it all. Not to mention, we have all kinds of sources telling us it is crucial to keep your body moving and to eat whole, nutritious foods. Here's the kicker. If you don't work on your mental health, your body will suffer from it. Stress is one of the biggest instigators of body ailments.

Slowing down and focusing on your breathing can help anyone that gets stressed out easily, has PTSD, is prone to panic attacks, is an Enneagram 1 (I get it- it's my wing), or needs to take a "me moment". It benefits anyone and everyone. There is a lot to be said about the mind to body connection and I encourage you to read more about it. That said, I have included a couple of breathing exercises that I enjoy doing, in case you wanted to give it a go. There are different ways to meditate and I encourage you to explore them!

Breathwork works for me, for the time being, so that's what I am focusing on for now. You can do these exercises in the morning or evening, or anytime throughout the day, just like prayer or journaling. I do them during the day when I feel stressed or frustrated, but especially at night when I lie down to go to bed to relax and unwind. Practicing breathwork is like drinking a warm cup of tea or getting a massage for your brain – it’s comforting and relaxing.

You can repeat a mantra or breath prayer over and over as you focus on breathing in and out. For example, as you breathe in you can think something like “He is my strength” and as you breathe out you think “and my song”. Breathing exercises are easy to do and can be squeezed into the busiest of schedules, I promise! I started by doing them in the shower first because that is the one place where I had nothing to distract me but my thoughts.

Friends, enjoy it. I hope by doing one of these exercises, you will feel more at peace and more equipped to take on the next challenge that awaits you!