Breathwork: Taking a deep breath into calm.

In the yoga tradition, the individual soul is called “Atman.” From the Sanskrit root “at,” meaning “to breathe,” a soul is defined as “That Which Breathes.”

Our life begins with a breath. We know that a baby has been born successfully when we hear a loud cry. Our life ends with a breath. When a body exhales then no longer inhales, we know the soul is gone. If breath is what defines life, breath IS life energy. In yoga, we call this “prana,” which simultaneously means both “breath” and “life-force energy.” The two are seen as virtually the same thing. It follows that there is no quicker way to transform your energy than to alter your breathing pattern.

Like training our bodies or training our minds, our breath can also be trained. Not because it’s bad and needs to be fixed, but so that it can be harnessed to work more effectively for us. We are made up of body, mind, and breath, and the breath for many of us is the last frontier. If you’ve been doing practices for the mind and body, but are still struggling with stress or your mood, you may be skipping yoga’s “secret sauce.” Breathwork is the most effective practice for your vibe, otherwise known as your feeling tone or how you show up in the world. 

One of the quickest ways to determine if someone is healthy is to examine their breathing pattern. If the breath is slow or shallow, rapid or irregular, you know that something is off. While doing breathwork cannot replace seeking medical help, it can be used to shift your energy and state of mind. For example, when someone is having a panic attack, we’ve all been taught to have them breathe into a paper bag. The idea is that if a person is panicking, they are usually also hyperventilating. The panic alters the breath cycle and the altered breath cycle creates more panic. This can quickly become a downward spiral.

The wise, old method of breathing into a paper bag does two things. First, it makes the person breathe in more carbon dioxide, which they’ve been losing through their quickened breath. Second, because the bag creates a sort of drag, it slows the breathing down. When the breath is slowed, the body takes the cue and thinks there is nothing to worry about. The act of slowing down your breathing is incredibly potent. Think of it like lifting weights with your lungs. It can be done by anyone, at any time, through techniques that are thousands of years old. It doesn’t require you to be spiritually elevated or psychologically evolved. On the contrary – it costs nothing and is simple to learn.

YOGA AND BREATH

Just like yoga and meditation, breathwork has a variety of styles and techniques with corresponding benefits. it can leave you feeling uplifted, focused, calm, or ready for sleep—depending on what type you do. There are energizing practices that require quick, short breaths and those that lengthen the breath for a more relaxing effect. Some techniques retain the breath at certain times or direct you to breathe out of just one nostril. 

While some of it can seem a bit unusual at first, just like embarking on your first downward dog, have an open mind and a sense of adventure. However, remember that no matter what the teacher says, you are in charge of you. If a teacher says “Twenty more like this,” and you feel that you need a break—take it! If nothing else, you are practicing to have a better sense of yourself.

While it may appear simple on the surface, in the yoga tradition, breathwork was often taught as one of the most advanced practices. Introduced to students after they had mastered physical yoga, breathwork is essentially the synergy, the alchemy, the powerful combination of all yogic practices. 

Disconnect to reconnect - Our guide to a digital detox

Are you struggling to control your digital habits? Do you find yourself endlessly scrolling, only to realise hours later that time has been wasted? Take back control and create a more mindful approach to integrating technology in your everyday life. In this article we will discuss the effects of technology on your life and ways to improve your relationship with it.

How Technology Impacts Our Lives

The day I realised I relied too much on technology was when my phone died and I was in the middle of Melbourne. With no Google Maps and no way to call anyone I simply stopped, confused.  

 “Ok think, what do people do without Google maps?”

It was then I realised how aimlessly I moved around in this huge city with no real idea where I was going just absently staring at a screen waiting for my next instruction. Lost, anxious and helpless, all because my phone was dead.  How did I get to this point where a piece of technology was my key to survival? And not just my survival but also my main source of entertainment. The only reason my phone was dead was because I had spent the last  hour watching Netflix on the train, and before that I was listening to music in the shower, and before that I was scrolling social media while I ate my dinner. I began moving through my day step-by-step and couldn't find a time that hadn’t revolved around my phone or some sort of device. It was then I knew I had a problem.

The Benefits Of Technology

Before we get started I do want to say I am not anti-technology. I agree that technology has created new worlds of opportunity for our generation and now we are able to do stuff that would have seemed impossible only 30 years ago. With new technology we are able to hear sounds which have previously escaped human ears, see loved ones who live on the other side of the world, send people up into space and even create prosthetic limbs with 3-D printers. There are so many ways in which technology is advancing humankind.

The Effects Of Technology On Our Health

But what I do not love about the world we live in today is the way we unconsciously use technology.  We live in a time where we have the world at our fingertips, you can find the answer to any question in a matter of seconds with just a few clicks. Yet, I think it’s safe to say the average person is not using technology to expand their knowledge but rather technology today is used mainly as our greatest pastime. And don’t we pass the time. Hours and hours spent just scrolling, not really paying attention. I cannot tell you how many rabbit holes I have fallen down. It would start by watching a video of a cute old grandma and a baby dancing together, then that video would roll onto the next and then the next, then somehow I would end up on a clip of a dog in a bubblebath - 1 whole hour of my life I will never get back. And many of us are guilty of this, the mindless habitual mooching around on our phones. 

Habitual scrolling is a real problem for some people; a 2019 study showed that on average US teens were spending just under 7.5 hours a day on entertainment through digital media[1]. Another study which claimed some adults can even peak at 11+ hours a day. Needless to say, this amount of screentime is very detrimental to our wellbeing. Studies show that more than 2 hours of screen time a day can have a negative impact on our sleep, our bodies and our mind. But it's not surprising that many of us have fallen into this trap. You see, our brains are directly impacted by this constant sensory overload all coming from our devices. They have even found that using technology for recreational use such as gaming or social media can result in our brain producing dopamine which is a chemical reaction that relates to pleasure or enjoyment and is often associated with addiction.

 So this is the problem, but what is the solution? I propose a digital detox. 

What Is A Digital Detox?

You might be wondering: “What exactly is a digital detox?”, “How can I possibly go on a detox from technology?”, “I have to work so I need my laptop, my phone is my alarm, I get google alerts to remember appointments, it is not practical for me to give up technology, and so on and so on”. 

But the digital detox outlined below is not the complete abstinence from technology but rather a reduction in the amount of unnecessary time spent on our screens, and instead focus on our real-life social and physical interactions; a way to get off the screens and into the present. By not using technology as a habitual distraction we can bring mindfulness into everyday activities. Follow these easy steps below and you will soon find your mind calmer, your sleep longer and your awareness heightened.  

7 Ways To Start Your Digital Detox Today

The most important part of any detox is establishing a time frame and sticking to it. If it is your first time trying this detox you can always start small. Even if it's one hour, you can always work up longer and longer each time. So first set yourself a goal and let's get to it.

1. Put your phone on airplane or silent mode to turn off notifications.

This brings back your control over your device - it does not command your attention rather you look when you're ready. Allowing you to continue doing other activities without being constantly distracted, thus allowing you to get lost in your other non-digital projects.

2. Have technology-free hours or activities.

Have a designated ‘no technology time’. For many of us the first thing we do when we open our eyes in the morning is check our phone.  This starts our bad habits from the minute we wake up and will likely continue throughout the day. So instead, try waking up and having a whole hour to establish a set routine before you even think about checking in with the digital world. Also it is good to have certain activities such as cooking or reading where you completely detach from your devices and put all of your attention into what is in front of you to reconnect to the present moment.

3. No screens just before bed.

This may be the hardest as many of us love scrolling or watching a movie before we drift off to sleep, but by turning off you would be giving yourself the greatest gift - a good night's sleep.  Studies show the detrimental effects the blue lights and stimulations from screens have on our sleep. It messes with our natural day and night rhythm through artificial simulation of daylight. By letting go of this unnecessary use before bed you will find your body more relaxed, falling asleep will be easier and you will reconnect with your natural body clock.

4. Delete unnecessary apps from your phone.

This action step is actually very liberating. It's so tempting when you have apps on your homescreen so removing the temptation will really make things easier. It doesn't mean you have to delete your accounts but rather make it harder for you to access them. Either access through a browser where you have to log in each time or put the app in a folder in a folder in a folder, thus when you go to open it you have an opportunity to think with each click if it's worth your time.

5. Put a timer on when on certain devices or apps.

If you don’t want to completely remove yourself from the digital world a trick to stop you getting lost in them is setting timers. Enjoy your time while it lasts and when the buzzer goes you let go of the attachment and move on to your next activity. On iPhones you can set a limit per app and after the set amount of time you will get a reminder to either close the app or extend your screen time. You decide how much energy you want to give a certain device or app and set the time appropriately. This will also bring a conscious element into your technology use, you will learn to use your time wisely.

6. Have mindful alternatives activities ready.

The key to success in this detox is having alternative activities to fill the time.  Most of us only use our devices either out of habit or out of boredom so by having set tasks or activities ready allows us to find our pleasure and entertainment elsewhere. Replacing technology with mindful practices such as reading, playing an instrument or meditating is an amazing way to transform a spare hour in the day into something wholesome and beneficial for our minds.

7. Ask for support from family or friends.

It's a good idea to have a friend or a family member as an accountability buddy who is ready to undertake this challenge together. Also ironically there are apps that exist to help you reduce screen time and technology use, this can be super helpful as you will be able to see your improvements as you go along.You do not have to do this alone, it's always easier to do something challenging with support.

Morning Rituals for a happy heart and soul

How we start our day reflects the energy that we will be inviting in for the whole rest of our day ahead. Perhaps you can remember a time when you have woken up, checked your phone or emails straight away and became instantly stressed or agitated which then carried through for the whole rest of the day with many things going wrong. Whereas I’m sure you can remember a time where you woke up and had a beautiful and nourishing morning which then went on to lead you to having a beautiful and fulfilling day ahead. So as you can imagine, it is so important to begin our day with morning rituals which invite in the energy of calm, gratitude and flow in order to live each day in alignment with the expression of our Highest Self.

Things to avoid in your morning routine:

• Checking your phone/social media/emails

• Drinking stimulating substances (coffee/energy drinks)

• Eating sugary and processed foods

• Watching/consuming the news or other forms of media

• Leaving your bed unmade & leaving mess to deal with later

Morning Ritual Ideas:

Here are some morning ritual ideas which will help to nourish your heart and soul and allow your day to start off from a place of softness and alignment, which can be energetically carried through the rest of your day. You may not have time or even want to do everything on this list, but we can suggest choosing the ones that resonate with you best and then incorporating the into your daily morning routine.

1. Tongue Scraping

Tongue scraping is an ancient ayurvedic technique that has been used for thousands of years as a way to remove any toxins that have accumulated on the surface of your tongue. Overnight as you sleep, the body is working hard to remove these toxins which are then collected as a white coating over your tongue. In ayurveda they believe that it is very important to scrape away this toxic layer before you consume any liquids, so that you are not allowing the toxins to reenter into your system. You can do this through a method called ‘tongue scraping’, which is using a metal tongue scraper (or a teaspoon works just as well), to remove this coating. You can scrape your tongue and then wash away the white residue, and continue this process around 5-10 times until this layer has removed. 

There are a number of scientifically proven benefits associated with this practice, such as:

• Improves sense of taste

• Enhances oral hygiene

• Removes bacteria

• Reduces bad breath

• Improves overall health

• Prevents cavities

2. Warm Lemon Water

After you have removed any toxins from the mouth through the tongue scraping, now is the time to cleanse your digestive system for the day ahead with a warm and nourishing glass of lemon water. Drinking warm lemon water every morning helps the body to maintain its natural pH balance and helps to boost the immune system through its rich source of vitamin C. Other beautiful benefits include:

• Helps to fight infections with its powerful antibacterial properties

• Maintains digestive health

• Flushes toxins out of the liver

• Reduces joint and muscle pain

• Increases the metabolic rate

3. Gratitude Journaling

A bit of a fun way that you can incorporate gratitude into your daily life is to have a gratitude jar or box. You can find an empty jar or box and decorate it as you desire so that it looks pleasing to you. Once you have your gratitude container, the idea of this is to write down a gratitude statement on a piece of paper and add a new statement into the jar or box everyday. Then by the end of the week or the end of the month you can take out all of the statements and read out everything that you have been grateful for over that period. 

There has been an incredible amount of research on the healing benefits of regular gratitude practice. This can often take place in the form of gratitude journaling, where you can start your day with writing down three things you’re grateful for and why. When you allow yourself to tune into the resonance of gratitude, you will recognise more things that you are grateful for throughout your day. This attitude of gratitude shifts you away from a mentality of lack and fear, and into the vibration of love and appreciation.

4. Dream Journaling

Writing down your dreams when you wake up, is a beautiful way to boost your levels of creativity, and connect more to the messages of your unconscious mind. Writing down your dreams can also be a very therapeutic process, which can help you to process the experiences and emotions which you’ve had in your waking life which is often played out in the dream space. Research has also indicated that dream journaling helps to improve memory recall and strengthen the immune system.

5. Digital Detox

A digital detox is a complete break from technology and all media outlets. This includes checking your phone, social media, watching the news etc. Typically a digital detox may be for a prolonged period of time. However we understand that with the world that we live in, this usually isn’t possible. However it is definitely possible and attainable to have a digital detox every morning. This means waking up and not checking your phone or emails straight away. It would look something like waking up, practising a few of your nourishing morning rituals, having breakfast, having your shower and getting ready for your day. Only when you are ready and you have done everything you needed to and have established the right energy for the day, then you can consciously check your phone or emails when needs be. We would also very much recommend taking a digital detox before bedtime too so you can ease yourself into sleep without your stress response being triggered by the notifications and the blue light. 

If you want to find out more about starting a digital detox, check out our previous blog post: https://www.heartandsoulretreats.com.au/blog/digital-detox

6. Pranayama

Connecting to the power of your breath is a beautiful way to start the day, as it helps to connect you to your prana (your lifeforce energy), which can leave you feeling grounded throughout the rest of your day. Pranayama in sanskrit means to control your life force energy, which can be done through a variety of different breathing techniques which the ancient yogis have practised for thousands of years. There a number of amazing benefits associated with practising pranayama, such as:

• Decreased levels of stress

• Improved quality of sleep

• Increased levels of mindfulness

• Reduced high blood pressure

• Enhanced cognitive performance

• Improved lung capacity

• Regulates subtle energy in the body

• Helps to clear away stagnant energy and blockages

7. Yoga

A regular morning practice of yoga can help you to start your day with a positive flow of momentum. A yoga practice can help you to feel centered, calm and grounded so that you can move throughout your day within a more balanced state of mind. You are also allowing an increased level of prana (lifeforce energy) to flow within your energy field, which will help you to feel more connected to the wisdom of your Higher Self. Which will help you to respond instead of reacting to stressful situations that you may face throughout your day. Other wonderful benefits of a regular morning yoga practice includes:

• Helps to regulate your sleep rhythm and balance your hormones

• A great caffeine alternative to provide energy throughout the day

• Prevents injury and an achy body throughout the day

• A more dynamic practice will help to boost your metabolic rate

• Helps to build a healthy and consistent routine

We hope you have enjoyed these morning ritual ideas for a happy heart and soul. Let us know in the comments which rituals resonate with you best.

Staying in balance: The power of mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating more awareness and being conscious of the here and now. There are many benefits to developing your own mindfulness practice, including improved physical health, reduced stress levels, better sleep and overall greater wellbeing. Meditation can be a helpful tool to develop a more mindful lifestyle. But what do you do with the other 90% percent of your day? If your only mindfulness practice consists of 20 minutes on a meditation cushion, but stops the moment you get up, you will not notice much of a difference in your general sense of wellbeing. Luckily, there are many ways in which you can incorporate mindfulness in your daily life, and we have gathered 5 easy practices here for you.

1. Mindful Morning Routine

Starting your day off right can make a huge difference in the way you feel throughout the day. Begin your morning with some quality you time to set yourself up for an amazing day. Make your space sacred, burn some incense, light a candle, and make yourself a cup of tea. Get into a comfortable seated position and take 10 deep belly breaths. Scan your body up and down, feeling into every body part. How is your body feeling today? Can you notice any stiffness or stuck energy? Breathe into it and acknowledge how you feel. Once you have a good idea of how you are today and you feel grounded, it is time to set your intentions for the day. What do you want to achieve or cultivate today? It can be as simple as being present and calm throughout your day.

2. Mindful Eating

A big part of our daily routine is preparing and eating food. If we can cultivate more mindfulness into our relationship with food, we can create greater awareness of our eating habits and enjoy the process of preparing and eating food much more. One of the ways through which we can start a mindful eating practice is by taking more time for the whole process and including all the senses: seeing, smelling, feeling, hearing and tasting. Additionally, expressing gratitude for our meals and all the ingredients can inspire greater awareness. Do you want to know how to do this exactly? Read about mindful eating practices, tips and follow a guided mindful eating practice, all in our article on ‘Mindful Eating’.

3. Mindful Movement

One of the benefits of mindfulness is developing a better mind-body connection. Being in your body is grounding and makes you feel connected to yourself, to mother earth, and to other people. One way of incorporating this into your daily life is to ask yourself every couple of hours: ‘How is my body feeling?’, ‘What emotions am I experiencing?’. You can set a reminder on your phone to do a body check-in as often as is convenient for you. This way you will practice being in your body regularly. After a while, it will become natural for you to do this without any incentive to do so. Other ways of cultivating mindful movement is by:

•         Going on walking meditation,

•          Joining or doing your own ecstatic dances,

•          Practicing body-scan meditation.

4. Mindful Reflection

When you become more present in your daily life, you will notice more of your habits and thought patterns that you might find to be confronting. The challenge is to not judge yourself or get stuck in the loop of the ego, but rather observe without judgment and attachment. Before you can change anything, you must accept it to be true. You can never change anything you do not accept to be true. That is like trying to move an object that isn’t there. How will you pick it up and where will you put it if you don’t know where it is, to begin with? Therefore, a daily reflection practice can be a valuable addition to your daily mindfulness practice, so you can work through whatever you become aware of. One way of doing this is by journaling. If you feel resistant towards journaling, maybe you can let go of your expectations of what journaling is or should be. Here are just a couple examples of unconventional journaling:

•          Daily emotions: write down the 3 main emotions you felt during the day,

•          Drawing: draw yourself, anything from your day or anything that comes up,

•          Gratitude journaling: read our full article here for more information.

Article Source: https://www.heartandsoulretreats.com.au/blog/5-easy-mindfulness-practices-for-daily-life