The simple way to relieve COVID 19 anxiety & fear
Struggling with anxiety and fear? Are you stuck in a cycle and want to break free?
One of the most under recognized effects of COVID on our mental and physical health is the way the pandemic has disrupted our trust in our breath.
We all depend on our breath to survive. But for the last year the key to our survival has carried a deadly infection. We have failed to recognize how the pandemic has fractured our trust in our breath. This destabilization has contributed to our declining mental health. Learning to connect to our breath is a crucial step in helping us cope with the pandemic’s ongoing mental health challenges.
Deep breathing can help shift our anxiety and fear response. Slow breathing—especially lengthening our exhalation—signals our body to relax.
When we breathe deeply we stimulate the vagus nerve. This nerve runs from our brain stem to abdomen. As part of our parasympathetic nervous system it helps us maintain our “rest and digest” functions. Once activated, it turns off our “fight or flight” stress reaction. With slow exhalations, our body shifts from high stress mode. The heart rate drops, blood pressure lowers, and stress hormones decrease. Now it’s easy for our thinking to be more rational.
We have the power to influence our mind through regulating the breath.
No extensive training is required to breathe slowly; try it now and assess the results for yourself!\
Use it daily: first thing in the morning and before you go to sleep at night.
It’s time to heal the fear & anxiety we have all endured during the pandemic. This negative mental state has become our default state and it’s time to reclaim our joy and peace!
Here are my favorite tunes to relax and breath with:
This one is always a favorite of my yoga students. Very healing!
Craig Pruess and Ananda: 108 Sacred Names of Mother Divine
This track is perfect for a 10 minute breathing and relaxation practice. Just soothing instruments played by a master musician!