Spirituality, Breathing and Meditation for Relaxation

It has finally reached the medical forefront that overstressing our bodies and minds is not good for us. Stress, which most of us experience daily, causes our bodies to release the hormone cortisol which is toxic on the areas of the brain that deal with memories and emotions and also causes fat to collect around your stomach which is then difficult to remove. We rarely think of our bodies and all that they do for us while we are entrenched in the daily grind. We don't feed ourselves well enough and don't get enough sleep for our bodies to work at peak performance. We need to reclaim a little time and space in our lives to help us relax, de-stress and gain balance in the juggling act of life. Through simple breathing and a little meditation anyone can improve their ability to handle stress and become a little more spiritual.

Being spiritual means different things to different people, from religion and order to nature and the super natural anything pertaining to the human spirit can be seen as a type of spirituality. To look up the definition of spirituality, one is confronted with a series of ideas rather than a clear answer. For the purposes of this article, we can define spirituality as any practice or activity that helps us enjoy ourselves and improve ourselves while we nurture our inner spirit.

Based on this definition, one can become more spiritual through activities we enjoy and through things that help us learn more about ourselves and become better people. Basically, all you really need is some time with yourself. Practicing a type of spirituality can help us to identify goals and ambitions we have, allow us to reflect on our lives and actions, and provide us with relaxation and unwinding that we so desperately need.

One simple way to find time for ourselves throughout our busy days is to simply take notice of our breath. Breathing in and out a few times, while paying attention to the flow of our breath, can provide a moment of calm in a busy day. Every one of us can spare a minute to close our eyes and breathe in deeply three to five times as a way of calming ourselves and focusing our intention for our next action. In his book Healthy Aging, Dr. Andrew Weil presents a breathing exercise which achieves the desired effect.

1. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind and above your front teeth and keep it there through the whole exercise.
   
2. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a "whoosh" sound.
   
3. Inhale deeply and quietly through your nose to a count of 4 (with your mouth closed).
   
4. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
   
5. Exhale audibly through your mouth to a count of 8.
   
6. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 for a total of four breaths.
   

By completing this exercise you have succeeded in taking the time you need to relieve stress in your life. By doing this exercise you have aided your body by providing much needed oxygen to your cells. You can do the exercise above and then begin to work your way up in repetitions or length of breath. The more time you take in your day to breathe consciously, the better you will feel. Breathing has been proven to reduce stress and increase oxygen flow to the cells which contributes greatly to your overall health and well being.