FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️: BREATHE EASY
Are you leaning into your summer vibes, my friend? This is a season made for feeling free and relaxed. For keeping things easy and nourishing your body and mind with sunshine and seasonal fruits and veggies. It's a time to tap into the plethora of fun ways to move your body that summer provides.
Whether you keep your calendar full of white space or pack it with plans this summer, chances are you may feel stressed or get stuck in your head at times. Keep listening for a technique I use to reconnect with my carefree summer self. It quickly helps me feel calm and reconnect with the present moment.
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I'm Karli Newman and you're listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️, a podcast for women in midlife and beyond who want to feel connected, hopeful, confident, and more satisfied with life than ever before.
I'm a life and wellness coach who works with women in midlife and beyond. I know from personal experience what a transformational time this is, and I'm here to help you navigate challenges, uncover how to move forward and continue on your unique journey of personal growth and self-discovery.
The FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️ is a place for you to honor who you've been, love who you are, and be excited about who you are becoming.
I recently launched my ELEVATE Membership so you can tap into your self-knowledge and love your life. It's $25 a month, and you get my most-asked-for tools centered around a monthly topic that boosts your well-being.
With tools like affirmations, prompts for thinking and writing, and a checklist of 10 new things to try, that one's my favorite, you'll build whole-life wellness one month at a time. And of course, I pepper fun into every month, too.
Will you join me? Listen to the end of the episode for a special offer that ends July 31st, 2024.
Breathing is automatic, so it's easy to underestimate its power. It happens without thought, thank goodness, but that also means it isn't something you think about without effort. Your breath is a valuable tool for your wellness toolbox, my friend.
Breathwork is the practice of mindful, controlled breathing patterns to benefit the body and mind. It's been used for thousands of years and can be traced back to ancient India and China.
Don't let the word practice deter you. Yes, there are advanced techniques you can learn, and I encourage you to learn them if you want to. But, you know I love easy and accessible options that only require a bit of awareness and a few minutes of time.
Before I walk you through my go-to simple breathing pattern, called box breathing, I want to share a few ways it can impact your well-being.
First, it reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. Regulating your breath can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and help you move out of that fight-or-flight state.
Two, it lowers your heart rate and calms your mind.
And three, it positively impacts your mood by bringing you into the present moment.
There's a long list of benefits tied to breathwork in general. It's a rabbit hole on the internet, my friend, so Google away if you want to discover more about breathwork and what it can do for you.
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But back to box breathing. I use box breathing when I feel my physiological stress responses, which for me, I notice a racing heart and my breathing gets really shallow. You may feel those things, too.
I also use it when my mind is swirling with worry, overwhelm, or intense emotion. When I have lost touch of that present moment, I know it's time for some box breathing.
This technique helps me reset in less than a minute, and it can be done from anywhere. Like I said, I love easy-to-use tools. You can use box breathing to feel calm and return to the present moment, too.
When you are box breathing, inhale and exhale through your nose. And the idea here is to think of the four sides of a box, or for me it works better to think of a square, as you inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold your breath for four counts.
When I first started using this technique, it was easier for me to close my eyes and see that square in my mind. Now that I'm well-versed in box breathing, I no longer have to close my eyes. I can do this absolutely anywhere. After three or four rounds, I can feel the calm seep in, and it's easier for me to tune in to the present moment. My mind gets so clear.
Are you ready to give it a try? Let's do this.
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Now imagine that box or square and take a big cleansing, deep breath in and out.
Now inhale through your nose for 2, 3, 4, and hold for 2, 3, 4. Exhale through your nose for 3, 4, and hold for 2, 3, 4.
Inhale for 2, 3, 4, hold for 2, 3, 4. Exhale 2, 3, 4, hold 2, 3, 4.
Inhale 2, 3, 4, hold 2, 3, 4. Exhale 2, 3, 4, hold 2, 3, 4.
Do this one on your own.
Now let your breath return to your normal pattern.
Gently blink your eyes open.
And notice how you feel.
Were you able to align this box pattern of breathing to the image of a box or a square in your mind?
Can you imagine circumstances when box breathing might come in handy for you?
This technique is a perfect introduction to breathwork, my friend. And I encourage you to add it to your wellness toolbox.
When you're feeling stressed, or you find yourself breathing in a shallow pattern, or your mind is far away from the present moment, three to four rounds of box breathing can help you reset.
You just did four rounds. And what difference did it make for you?
I'd love to hear your thoughts about breathwork and how this little practice of box breathing made you feel. You can reach me at karli@flipsideofmidlife.com to share all of your thoughts and ideas with me.
Remember at the top of the episode when I mentioned my ELEVATE membership? I love that you listened to the end of this episode, so I want you to know about an offer I'm running in July of 2024.
Save $15 off your first month of my ELEVATE membership with promotion code 15OFFELEVATE. That's one month for only $10.
ELEVATE is filled with content and tools to help you form a positive mindset, build awareness, and stretch your comfort zone so you can ignite meaningful change.
ELEVATE your well-being to love your midlife and beyond.
Join at the link in the show notes or transcript, or head to my website, flipsideofmidlife.com. This offer is for new members only, and it does expire on July 31st, 2024, at 11:59pm Arizona time.
I'll be back next week with another episode made for women in midlife and beyond to help you tap into your best summer vibes. Until then, my friend, be well.
Thanks for listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️. Help other women in midlife and beyond find this podcast by sharing it with your friends and taking a moment to follow, subscribe, rate, or even write a review. I appreciate it when you do, my friend.
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