Did you know that your breathing is a very important part of your training? Learning how to manage your breath in exercise as well as in meditation can have a great overall impact on your body and mind.
STOP everything that you are doing and just find some time to just be quiet. You cannot reach your potential as an athlete or as a person if your mind and breath are unfit. Nothing is more important than breath, so you MUST train it just like you train your body. As you get better at keeping control over your breath, your ability to maintain focus and presence in any situation also improves. You can learn to keep control in stressful situations and learn how to maintain clarity !
Use your belly breath! This is the basic technique of breathing which is calming for your body.
- Put your hand on your belly.
- Push it out by drawing in a deep breath through your nostrils.
- Exhale fully, pushing the hand in towards your spine. Get all the air out.
- Repeat three times.
- Do it all again, only this time, focus on physically expanding the belly, then the lower chest, then the upper chest as you breath in deeply.
Master your breathing during performance or after !
- Breath in deep into the nose. You know the technique now…
- You will still keep a pace, let’s say 5 seconds to start. But now you’re going to also add a 5 second pause at the end of your inhalation.
- Hold that breath for 5 seconds. Just let the moment hang there. Still your mind and body. Be nothing for just the moment.
- Exhale for a smooth and controlled 5 count.
- After pushing the last bits of air from your lungs, be still once more. Again, 5 seconds of stillness and presence.
Be mindful and practice this with intention. You will fuel your body better. You will make better decisions. You will be able to maintain presence and focus, not matter how stressful the situation might be. In short, it won’t be long before you become a better, higher functioning person.
Reference:
http://daily.barbellshrugged.com/breathing-meditation-techniquewod/