“Hei hengitä jos tarviit happee,
kun sä päästät irti silloin olo kevenee.
Hei hengitä jos tarviit lempee,
voisin olla sulle hyvä ja olla hempee.”
Kim Herold – Hengitä

Few of us pay attention to breathing because it happens so automatically. We breath eventhough we don’t think about it. We are able to do different things, focus on them, because we don’t need to focus on breathing. Breath flows constantly no matter how our condition is.

However the risk is that if we take breathing for granted and don’t stop to examine it then we maintain a constant stress reaction in our body. Though breathing flows constantly and automatically it’s quality can differ a lot. By regulating our breathing we can in a blink of an eye get ourselves to state of panic or calm ourselves. When we’re stressed we easily breath rapidly and superficially adding the stress reaction in our body.

For the past few days I noticed this by myself when a prolonged state of stress started to ease. When external stress factor started to subside I could stop and focus on my breathing. I noticed that for a longer period I had been breathing superficially and rapidly – increasing the stress reaction in my body. When I stopped and breathed calmly I could very quickly decrease the stress reaction in my body. When my breathing was calmer also my body and mind was clearer.

It’s easy to think that because breathing occurs automatically and naturally then it occurs correctly. However different live situations and experienes might have shaped our way of breathing so that instead of deep breathing we breath superficially. If this state is not fixed then it might cause tiredness, increased stress and other health problems.

It’s wonderful that breathing occurs automatically and we don’t have to pay attention to that. However from time to time it’s good to stop and examine how’s my breathing flowing. Does it flow freely or do we breath only using the upper part of my lungs? Do we get enough oxygen so that we feel light or do we cause stress in our body?

With love, Anu-Maarit