On the 6th Day of Christmas, the gift we give to thee: a moment of meditation!

When our bodies are exposed to a sudden stress or threat, our minds go into a “fight or flight” response. We can experience an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, faster breathing, and increased blood flow to the muscles. When we are under stress but not necessarily in life threatening situations, our bodies can feel the effect of this “fight or flight” response and can lead to stress related disorders.

Taking 10 minutes out of your day can help you to control stress, decrease anxiety, improve your health and general wellbeing and increase your ability to relax. Try this deep breathing exercise…

Concentrating on your breathing can be done anywhere. When we become stressed, one of our body’s automatic reactions is shallow, rapid breathing which can increase our stress response. Taking deep, slow breaths can help us to “turn off” that stress reaction and “turn on” the relaxation response.

Try out these easy steps:

Get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
Place your hands on your stomach, just below your rib cage.
Slowly breathe in through your nose, your stomach should feel like it’s filling and expanding outward.
Exhale slowly through your mouth, emptying your lungs completely.
Repeat several times, trying to make your breaths deeper each time.