“Instant relax” breath – What will you get from this article?

By the end of this article, you will have:

☑️ Learned HOW to feel INSTANTLY & NATURALLY relaxed in LESS THAN 1 minute, even during arguments, troubles falling asleep, moments of anxiety …

☑️ Understood a method to manage your emotions, including when going through challenging situations: meetings, interviews, presentations

☑️ Picked up a biohacking alternative for coping with stress, worries, anger, and anything else that you need to cope with.

☑️ Took away a simple method to free your headspace, and think more rationally.

☑️ Grasped how to control your breath, this is massively useful as your emotions instinctively dictate your breathing pattern especially if you are asthmatic. With this, you will flip the cycle: take-back of your breath to manage your emotions.

Is this like YOU?

� When you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, would it be useful to know how to stop these feelings immediately?
And replace it with feeling grounded and calm?

� Would a short, relaxing & mind refreshing practice be beneficial for you?

� When “things” get tough, have you ever searched for “an escape”?
Consciously or unconsciously searching for a way to take your mind off?

� Or having “guilty pleasures” to take you away from those tough “things“?
Would a healthy & sustainable alternative be helpful to you?

� Would you like to know a method to boost your RATIONAL thinking capabilities?

What will you learn?

You will learn about the “Instant relax” breath, specifically:
– Its multiple benefits
– Discover its practical uses in all aspects of your life
– What is the “instant relax” breath
– How to do it with a step-by-step method

Reminder – Why learn this?

With this knowledge, you would be in an improved position to:

✔ Increase your well-being & happiness
✔ Manage any unwanted thoughts or behaviour coming from your PRIMAL (Emotional) mind

E-motion brings motion !

Recap previous article – Your PRIMAL & RATIONAL minds

In this article, I refer to your PRIMAL & RATIONAL minds.

The PRIMAL MIND represents your limbic system, it is your emotional brain, all details on its functions & features are in this article.

The RATIONAL mind represents your frontal lobe, it is your rational brain, all details on its functions & features are in this article.

The 8 transformative benefits

It is a breathing method that will deliver 8 benefits to:
✔ Your emotional well-being
✔ Your productivity
✔ Your physical health

Your emotional well-being

Benefit #1: Override unwanted thoughts & feelings
Any unwanted thoughts & feelings (Fear, stress, anger, anxiety…) can be replaced with sensations of calmness & serenity.

Benefit #2: STOP unwanted emotional patterns
Prevent any unwanted emotional patterns (Stage fright, panic, waffling…) coming from your PRIMAL mind.

Your productivity

Benefit #3: Increase your concentration
With a settled & relaxed mind, your concentration will improve.

Benefit #4: Free up your headspace
Free up your headspace to further engage your RATIONAL mind.

Your physical health

Benefit #5: Release any tension
You can use this practice to release any tension in your body & leave yourself with a soothing feeling.

Benefit #6: Control your breath, especially if you are asthmatic
With this technique, you can control your breath, this is massively useful as your emotions instinctively dictate your breathing pattern.

For some people and including people with asthma, when under STRESS, the throat can UNSCONCIOUSLY tighten, leading to the restriction of the air flowing to your lungs, causing you difficulty breathing.

When mastering this technique, you can flip the cycle: take back control of your breath, calm yourself down, stop that stressful thought and consequently “untie” your throat and breath again normally.

Benefit #7: Optimise your body functioning
It can increase your oxygen intake for optimising the healthy functioning of your body.

→ You can read about the role of oxygen in the body in many references, including in this article.

Benefit #8: Cool down when feeling anger & stress
You will be able to literally cool down your body, especially when feeling angry and stressed out.

You will replace that with a soothing feeling, radiating from your core.

The “Instant relax” breath delivers 7 transformative benefits to your:
– Emotional wellbeing
– Productivity
– Physical health

“Instant relax” breath

What is it?

It is a breathing technique that set your breath for full & deep breaths.

This technique gets you to constrict the air going into your lungs, this is by self-contracting your larynx, which is the back of your throat.

By doing the throat contraction, it would allow you to breathe the air in a slow, soothing & controlled manner.

The “Instant relax” breath sets your breath in a slow, soothing & controlled manner by self-contracting your larynx

When & where can you use the “Instant relax” breath?

This breathing method can be used:

• BEFORE & DURING – SOCIALLY challenging situations
  When having arguments, job interviews, presentations, and tricky social gatherings,… it can be practised for ANY situation that you may perceive as challenging.

• BEFORE – BEDTIME
  It would allow you to settle your mind and prepare you to fall asleep deeply & comfortably.

• HEADSPACE RESET needed
  Whenever you feel like you want to check out from your day, and you want clear your head for 2 minutes or less.

• STRATEGIC thinking situations
  Whenever it is necessary to take important & strategic decisions as it would maximise your ability to think clearly & rationally.

• DURING – ALONE difficult situations
  If you ever feel anxiety, worry, ruminating thoughts,… whenever your mind may wonder, in “places” that you wouldn’t want to be in.
  

⚠️ Note about anxiety, worries & ruminating thoughts
As exposed in the emotional intelligence workshop, these types of thoughts are natural and often driven by a positive intention.

Often, these thoughts occur because some of your needs aren’t met.

The answer to which type of needs, what thought pattern, and how to address it…, it is all revealed in the emotional intelligence workshop.

How to “Instant relax” breathe

For the first few times, you can sit up or lie down.

→ Once you master it, you can literally practice it anywhere and anytime.

⚠️ Reminder about your breathing:
Throughout your technique practice, YOU are in control of your breath!

As much as this breathing technique set HOW you breathe, you still remain in charge of HOW MUCH air you :
– Breathe
– Need

Step-by-step instructions

1. Get into a position
You can either sit up or lie down with your hands on your knees or by your side.

→ If possible, allow your shoulders to relax, to drop down, away from your ears.

2. INHALE & EXHALE through your NOSE
Do this with your mouth closed.

3. REPEAT step 2 & move your attention on feeling the air in your THROAT
You are just breathing in and out, simply, feeling the air going through your throat when inhaling and exhaling.

4. INHALE normally & on your EXHALE imagine fogging a pair of glasses
First, INHALE with your mouth closed.
Then open your mouth, and imagine that you are fogging up a pair of glasses.

This should make you do and hear a soft hissing sound coming from your throat.

→ This “fogging” would squeeze the BACK of your throat, as per the red area in the picture.

5. INHALE normally & EXHALE with 4 seconds of “fogging”
When doing this, you should make and hear a LONG soft hissing sound, still coming from your throat.

→ Practice it a few times until you are comfortable with this sensation.

6. INHALE normally & EXHALE with that contraction and your mouth closed
Inhale as you normally would.

On your EXHALE, breathe out with that contraction, close your mouth and allow the air to come out via your nose.

7. REPEAT the previous step 5 times
This will allow you to become really comfortable with the self-contraction of your throat on your EXHALE.

8. INHALE with that contraction & EXHALE with that contraction
Now, keep the contraction in your throat on your INHALE as well.

Close your mouth and INHALE the air via your nose.

And keep the contraction on your EXHALE.

→ You should then hear a soft hissing sound again

9. REPEAT the previous step 5 times
This is to become comfortable with that throat contraction on your INHALE & your EXHALE.

10. Practice the 8 – 2 pattern
Now, do your best to INHALE & EXHALE according to the 8 – 2 pattern as per the picture below.

The 8 – 2s breathing pattern

– INHALE with the self-contraction for 8 seconds

– HOLD your breath for 2 seconds
Keep your lungs full of air for 2 seconds & with no self-contraction

– EXHALE with the self-contraction for 8 seconds

– HOLD EMPTY for 2 seconds
Keep your lungs empty of air for 2 seconds & with no self-contraction

This is one breathing pattern, well done!

This breathing technique sets HOW you breathe while you still remain in control of HOW MUCH air you breathe and need.

Guidelines for minimum & maximum benefits

For the minimum benefit of this breathing technique, practice at least 5 to 10 patterns.

For maximum benefits, you can follow the advanced practice tips.

Advanced practice tips

The below tips are to be done once you are entirely comfortable with the technique.

• Advanced tip #1: Practice 30 patterns
  Practice the pattern 30 times, you can do 10 patterns and repeat it 3 times.

• Advanced tip #2: Close your eyes
  Do your best to close your eyes during the practice.

• Advanced tip #3: Relax!
  In your EXHALE, allow yourself to :
  – Drop your shoulders & release your jaw
  – Let go of ALL & ANY tension

• Advanced tip #4: INXHALE & EXHALE as long as possible
  Do your best to INXHALE & EXHALE the longer it is possible for you.
  As long you are comfortable, practice it the longer you can.
  
  The more patterns you run, the longer you will be able to INXHALE & EXHALE.
  
  Notice that the more you practice, the more soothing it can be for you.

REMINDER:
Throughout this process, you still remain in charge of how much air you breathe and need

Enjoyed this article & curious to take it to the next level?

Realise that this article is an extract from the fundamentals of the Calm & stress management & Emotional intelligence workshops.

These workshops are transformative blends of relaxation, mind management & communication tools & techniques. 

Designed to release your best, these workshops will deliver you the methods to :
✔ Become more relaxed & reduce your stress
✔ Be in charge of your emotions & increase your well-being
✔ Develop your leadership & influence

→ For any questions about these workshops, you can schedule your FREE discovery call to find out more.

Up until next time, go learn & go RELEASE YOUR BEST !!!