Breathe! The risk of living overwhelmed by the past and the future

Do you know the concept of ugly mental? In psychology, this term is related to constantly having recurring thoughts about the past and the future. That is, when a person thinks about the same idea consecutively, but what’s wrong with that? It basically means that a person does not live in the present, he lives between his future desires and his past demons, he is constantly striving to achieve what is proposed in a promising future, leaving aside the experience itself.

We are aware that the past is done, that there is no possibility of transforming it, it is already lived, there are no possibilities of changing the consequences that it has left us. Good or bad, it’s already on our to-do list. The present is a consequence of the past, so that if we live conscious of our present acts we will never have to beg time to come back and give us another chance.

The future, no matter how certain we look before it, is something that is yet to come. If we are analytical, we will see that we are building it right in the present, so our focus should be the current actions that will not be repeated. The future will have positive results by focusing our efforts on present actions, which will give us a little more certainty of achieving a yearned for future. Stop living looking for happiness by achieving a goal will only leave you with the feeling of not having enjoyed the journey.

We live in the past and future time, we pay little attention to the present, it is as if we were programmed on autopilot before life, which does not allow us to enjoy the present events. How long has it been since you were aware of the path you have traveled for so many years, of the smell of a cup of coffee, of contemplating the light of a candle, of listening to the sounds of your home, for a long time surely, because you only live trapped in the time without noticing him?

How can I be aware that I am in the “present moment”? The easiest way is the breathing, which is the act that automatically puts our body in the present, which allows us to know that we are connected with ourselves at that moment. Give importance to your breathing and learn to just focus on it to understand your body and mind.

I share some simple recommendations to achieve full awareness with breathing, these are part of the techniques of Michael Sky, author of Breathing: Expand your power and energy.

» 1. Breathing to focus your mind and eliminate tensions

• Breathe as smoothly as possible, calmly.
• Take long, shallow breaths in and out through your nose while imagining that your lungs, just below, are a tray full of ashes. You can only breathe carefully and gently so as not to raise the slightest draft of air or produce the slightest sound vibration that could spread the ashes.
• Let the body relax, imagine that the slightest tension could disperse the ashes.
• Allow the mind to calm down and the thoughts to quiet down. Imagine that the slightest mental agitation could spread the ashes.
• Continue taking long, slow breaths that do not cause agitation, that generate peace, while your eyes gently close.

» 2. Breathing to stimulate memory

• Fill yourself with air and hold it.
• Let your belly relax and inflate.
• The shoulders lose tension and slacken.
• Hold your breath for as long as you can.
• Then slowly release it and repeat three times.

» 3. Breathing to fully relax

• Breathe in through the nose and expel the air through the mouth.
• At the end of the exhalation, pause and wait patiently for the body to begin the next inhalation.
• Each breath through the nose is slow and calm.
• At the peak of your inhalation, slowly exhale through your open mouth.
• Then, without closing your mouth and with your jaw relaxed, pause and consciously wait until your body needs to breathe again.
• After two or three breaths, allow the time between each breath to be a moment of total relaxation for your body.
• Then, breathe for a specific area of ​​your body that especially needs to relax.
• Breathe in this rhythm several times.

» 4. Breathing to control stress and sleep well

Dr. Andrew Weil advises repeating this exercise twice a day.

• Place the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, behind the upper front teeth.
• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds.
• Exhale through your mouth pursing your lips and making a noise (as if you were blowing) for 8 seconds.
• Take four breaths.

» 5. Exercise to oxygenate each cell

Do this exercise when you get up or on an empty stomach.

• Sit comfortably with your back straight.
• Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth in short but powerful bursts, as if you were blowing up a balloon.
• Repeat the exercise 30 times with your eyes closed. Be careful because you may feel a slight dizziness.
• Then inhale and fill your lungs without forcing.
• Let the air out and hold on for as long as you can without becoming uncomfortable.
• Then, take in as much air as possible again and, feeling the expansion of your chest, hold your breath for about 10 seconds.
• With this you have concluded an entire cycle. You can repeat the entire cycle three times, starting with the round of 30 in which you inflate the balloon and ending with the inspiration with a 10-second hold.
• Finally, breathe calmly and quietly.

» 6. Lion’s breath to do with children and adults

Practice it if you tend to force your voice or when you have a sore throat.

• As you inhale, tilt your head back slightly.
• When you exhale, bring your head forward, open your mouth as wide as possible, and stick your tongue out. Breathe out making noise.

» 7. Breathing to balance the mind

It is used, for example, to clear the mind before a complicated task, such as an exam.

• Cover one nostril with your thumb and breathe slowly through the other, mentally counting to 8.
• Hold your breath for 4 seconds, cover the other nostril and exhale through your mouth, mentally counting to 8.
• Pause for 4 seconds.
• Practice the exercise for a few minutes.
• Change nostril after each exhalation.

These techniques will help you stay in the present, leaving autopilot behind and controlling mental rumia. They are very efficient exercises to achieve full awareness in your work and personal activities, in addition to keeping you in a state of well-being.