The Power of a Good Exhale

The Power of a Good Exhale

Watch any athlete during a break in the action and you’ll notice something about their breathing—they inhale and exhale—a lot!  Watch a baseball pitcher or basketball player at the free-throw line and they will almost always do 2-3 long exhales before throwing the next pitch or shooting the basketball.  We could take a lesson or two from them about the power of a good exhale—especially when we’re feeling stressed. 

As someone who is a case-study in stress management (I’ve been working on it for more than 20 years) I’ve learned a few things about how to let go when you’re wound up tighter than a drum.  And I can tell you, you can’t beat a good exhale as a stress reliever.  Which, by the way is one reason that exercise is so often recommended as a stress management technique, because it forces us to exhale regularly and deeply.  There are lots of other good reasons why exhalation is such a powerful method but bottom line is this:  When we become stressed (which is often a progressive thing that happens without our full awareness until we’ve reached the level known as “distress”) we physically tighten up, breathe more shallowly and rapidly and fail to exhale fully enough to expel stale air and toxins.  We rob our body of oxygen just at the time it needs it most! 

Here’s a simple exercise to begin developing your breathing capacity:  Inhale to a slow count of 4; hold for a slow count of 4 and exhale for as long as possible (at least a count of 4).  I sometimes imagine that my lungs are a balloon that I am filling and then deflating until that balloon is lying empty on the floor.  Two or three breaths like this several times a day have a potent impact on how you feel in the moment; and also begin to retrain you to remain calm in stressful situations as well. 

What does all of this have to do with business and personal success or effectiveness?  First of all, who enjoys walking around twisted up like a ball of knots?  Secondly, stress not only makes us less effective in the moment by short-circuiting our cognitive abilities, it has a very negative health impact on us longer term in the form of more frequent illnesses, sick days, doctor visits, heart and blood pressure problems, blood sugar levels,  higher insurance costs, addictive behaviors and ultimately longevity!  Not a small list of “side-effects” that we actually have a high degree of control over IF we learn to breathe properly! 

So today or any day, when you’re starting to feel tight, stressed or simply fatigued, I invite you to take a breathing break and concentrate on your exhale.  It’s simple, effective and best of all it’s FREE!! 

All together now, say “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………”  Now didn’t that feel good? 

Have a fabulous day!

Quote of the Week

"When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace."

~~Anonymous