Breath Work

Do you ever want to send a message to your brain to calm down or relax? You can with breathing techniques that bring the mind and body together to focus on the breath. With a single point of focus on your breath, the replaying or looping of negative thoughts, stress, worry, and anxiety may lessen. There is evidence that deep, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing practiced daily has many benefits ranging from a sense of calmness, lower heart rate, better sleep, and relaxation. I liken the effect to taking my busy mind from a 6-lane highway of thought traffic to a 2-lane country road or a quiet goat trail. The noise of the world peels away like layers of an onion. Dr. Andrew Weil, creator of the technique and an advocate of complementary and alternative medicine, describes his 4-7-8 breathing technique as a “natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.” (www.healthline.com; April 20, 2018).   

How do I practice The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique?

Step 1: Breathe in for 4 seconds.

Step 2: Hold your breath for 7 seconds.

Step 3: Exhale for 8 seconds.

Step 4: Repeat for 4 rounds 

Here are some websites (we do not get anything for you using these sites) to guide you in finding your perfect word. This is also a great opportunity to journal. Many of the sites recommend journaling! Some of these sites reference 2019 words; simply change the 2019 to 2020 and begin the journey to making 2020 your best year ever!!

▪“How to choose your POWERFUL, FOCUS Word of the Year" Click Here goes into great detail on why to choose a word, how to choose the word, and how to make the word a part of your everyday life.

▪“How to Choose Your Word” Click Here discusses how choosing a word helps us discover self-love. This site has access to a workbook and planner you can purchase and a Facebook page you can join.

▪“20 Questions That Can Help You Reach Your 2020 Goals” Click Here is simply 20 questions to help you choose a word that will help you reach your goals. (This is a great site for journal prompts! Megy even references an article “Carrol and his Bullet Journals.”)

▪“How to Craft an Inspirational Mantra to Use All Year Long" Click Here offers five steps to help you choose a word to guide your actions or what you want to embrace.

▪“Tips for Choosing Your Word of the Year” Click Here goes into more detail with its five steps to guide you in choosing a mantra to guide your daily actions and help you to become a better version of yourself.

▪“# OneWord 365” Click Here allows you to find a tribe to share your word. You can join through Twitter, Facebook, or Email.

▪“word of the year 2019” Click Here offers a Christian-based seven question quiz that will email you your word that corresponds to your answers. They also send additional information on where you can find your word in the Bible.