The breath -- it’s always here with us. In fact, the average human clocks somewhere between 17,000 and 30,000 breaths in a given day. 

Which begs the question: how many of those inhales and exhales do you use to help yourself relax? Or even more, how many breaths do we even notice?

Whether we use it or not, our breath is a powerful tool: always available to benefit us, so long as we remember to pay attention to it. 

And the byproducts of doing so is plentiful. Increased mental clarity and calm, decreased blood pressure and more than likely, a greater awareness and gratitude for life as it is. 

Here’s a couple breathing techniques you can give a try:

• Equal breathing
  Balance can often seem quite elusive. Bringing a measure of balance to our breathing can help. Meet Pranayama breath: inhaling intently through your nostrils, count 4 beats - then exhaling, count another 4. Try this for 1-2 minutes, depending on how much time you have. Scale up to counting 6 or even 8 beats depending on your lung (and attention) capacity. Chances are you’ll feel your shoulders loosen, your feet fasten a bit more to the ground and your mind just a bit more light than the 20 minutes you spent earlier in the day working and reworking an email.
   
• Bring in the abs
  Place one hand on your chest and the other over your belly, feeling your diaphragm expand widely on the inhale, and your stomach settle gentle on your exhale. You should likely be able to squeeze between six and ten breaths every minute - try it for 5-10 minutes and your heart rate and blood pressure will almost certainly lower. Groove the habit for a few weeks and you’ll reap the maximum benefits.

Whether you’re an experienced yogi or new to reacquainting with your breath, every moment presents a precious opportunity of breathing. It’s a total mystery, so we might as live in that unknown.

Meet your breath for a little longer than you normally do today, and you’ll give yourself the best chance to connect with the gift of life we’ve all been handed. 

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