I have been following my workout plan to the T the entire week and today I am taking a break from physical exercise (although I am still getting enough of that, by cleaning the old apartment, painting the kitchen and still moving stuff to our new home). Today I want to consciously focus on my mind and spirit, because those too need some attention as well. We all go through stressful situations in life and if we don’t take the time to heal, we can end up with anxiety or depression. I don’t know how about you, but I have been there and I don’t want to go back.

I decided to take 10 minutes today and do a little meditation, focus on my breath and the state of my mind. Conscious breathing is a good way to alter your mood and gain more energy. We apparently tent to breath fast and shallow when we get stressed. I haven’t noticed the fast breathing on myself, but I know that my breath becomes almost non existent. You can sit down or lay down, and focus on slowing down your breath. Your breath should be deep and full enough to expand the spaces in your entire torso. Breathing only into your lungs or your upper belly is not a full breath. You’d be surprised how much more oxygen you can take in if you spend a little bit of time focusing on it.

The more oxygen you can take in, the more you will nourish your body and your brain. With each deep breath you are sending a message through the nervous system to your brain. The message is to relax your mind and your muscles. Both is very important. The better you are able to relax your muscles, the easier it will be for you to stretch and become flexible. Your mind and spirit is going to feel much happier in body that is flexible as opposed to being in a body that is stiff.

What I do today is that I just sit comfortably on my porch for 10 minutes, I place my hands on my knees, palms facing up with my thumb and forefinger touching. I focus on my breath, and I try to expand my entire torso with each inhale and I try my exhale to be equaly as long. I take some time to observe of what is going on inside of me. I try not to judge any of my emotions or thoughts. Sometimes I like to come up with a short Mantra that I repeat with each breath. It helps me to keep the breath consistent and the Mantra can be an affirmation or something that brings calm into my mind.

Have fun with your meditation and check back later for the new Weekly Workout Plan for Warriorz 🙂
Best,
Z.