The Power of Breath

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.”

The first thing we do when we are born IS BREATHE.

There is so much power in our breath, from the first gasping breath we take as newborns, to our final breath before we leave this Earth, our breath is LIFE. 

So why am I here talking about how important our breath is? 

The state of our breath can tell us a lot about how our body is feeling at any specific moment. 

And by taking time to notice our breath, we can get some pretty good intel on how our body is doing and what state it is in.

Are you rushing to get to work this morning?

Are you stressed at your computer all day? 

Or, are you cool, calm, and collected?

How is your breath in all of this? 

Short and shallow? Or is it even and relaxed?

Have you ever noticed how when you are excited, your breath is rapid and short?

This is also similar to when you are anxious. 

Have you also noticed that when you are relaxed, your breath is calm and steady?

The breath is not only POWERFUL but it is POWER. 

The beautiful part of this all is that WE have the power to change our breath. And that power, to change our breath and correct it when we see necessary, is pivotal to our health. 

How do we start to focus and change our breath?

Easy.

Start with paying attention to it. 

Start with noticing it. 

To check if you are breathing correctly, place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen. 

Take an inhale…are your chest and ribcage rising? If yes, we aren’t breathing correctly!

When we inhale, we want our abdomen to rise. This may take some practice and getting used to, but just like anything else, it will come with time and practice. 

Take a moment to take a few deep breaths. 

Focus on allowing your stomach to move outward, or upward if you are doing this laying down, on the inhale, and inward on the exhale.

What’s next?


There is a great breathing practice for you to try if you are new to breathing exercises, and this breathing pattern specifically helps to promote relaxation.

It’s called the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Essentially, you take a 4 count inhale, hold for 7 counts, and exhale for 8 counts. The longer exhale signals to the body that it is relaxed, and this allows for the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the body.

Notice the MAGIC that happens between the inhale and the exhale. 


If you pay careful attention, you can feel your heart rate start to slow. 

IN JUST ONE BREATH. MAGIC, right? This is so useful when you are amped up, nervous, stressed, or anxious. This breathing pattern helps signal to the brain that we are safe and that we can relax.

My 13 year old niece gets anxious at times, and it is very difficult to see her dealing with that at such a young age. Her anxiety became super apparent on a flight to San Francisco (pre-pandemic). As we boarded and prepared for takeoff, she was sifting in her seat and nervously looking all around while she frantically tapped her foot up and down, up and down, up and down.

What did we do?

You guessed it. 

Breath work. We sat together, did a breathing exercise, and she was able to breathe her way out of nervousness.

If this isn’t part of your wellness routine already, try it out. Feel the power that you have at any moment, to take control of your breath and take control of your body. 

If you are new to this, or at any time feel light-headed or dizzy, return back to normal breathing. 

You can also shorten the breathing technique to 3-6-7 until you reach the point where you can do longer inhales and exhales.  

Do what works best for you, but do not forget to realize that power that is in you and your breath.