Breath in

Today's busy lifestyle can leave most of us with low energy levels which often lead to depression and illness. Therefore it is highly important to introduce into our lives natural ways to keep our energy level high, this can be done easily by taking a deep breath in. Feeling Tense?A giveaway sign that you are not breathing in deeply is if when inhaling the shoulders rise up.

The average person takes in 21,600 breaths per day. Have you ever stopped to think why?
Well, apart from helping to keep us alive, breathing helps to support our physical and mental health. This is why there is no wonder breathing correctly (and there is more than one way!) is an absolute key when doing pilates or/and yoga.
Not only do we use breathing to keep toxins out (70% waste removed by breathing as oppose to only 7% waste removed by urine), by breathing in deeply we are clearing the air passages to the lungs, this can help prevent a cough from turning into pneumonia.
Deep breathing can serve as an effective form of therapy for problems like asthma as it strengthen the lung muscles. It is also an essential part of maximizing any form of exercise you do, increases metabolism and is even rumored to be helpful with weight loss!

By taking a deep breath in we allow the body to take in much more oxygen (which is the most important chemical in the body) and release more carbon dioxide. This can result in lowering the blood pressure and slowing of heart rate. Even just by focusing on your breathing, your mind will automatically focus and relax, which will also lead to a significant reduction of stress.
Breathing in deeply is a key in meditation too. The deep breath calm the mind, therefore reducing stress. It allows focus and clarity of the mind, all the while releasing endorphins into the system. Endorphins make you feel happy and are the bodies natural painkillers.

Changing your breathing is one of the quickest and most effective was of changing how you feel - Go on...try it!