Breathing

or 'How holding your belly can make you more intelligent!"

 

Do this exercise, right now - it's very quick! It’s a little easier standing, but sitting is fine. 

1. Put one hand below your belly-button, and the other hand on your (opposite) shoulder.

2. Breathe – and notice which hand is moving.  Remember this for later.

3. Now – think of someone or something that you really love, and breathe.  Which hand is moving?

4. Finally – think of someone or something that really winds you up.  Breathe.  Which hand is moving?

And why should you care? Because this little exercise is telling you how much oxygen you're allowing into your brain! You might guess that this can affect your performance considerably...

Essentially, any time the hand on your shoulder is moving, you are reducing oxygen to the brain, because you are only using the top part of your lungs (this is called = ‘high breathing’). 'Low breathing', when the hand on your belly moves, is using all of your lungs, and supplying far more oxygen to your brain. I don't know about you, but my brain works better for a bit of that.

Most of us will breathe high under stress, but if you can learn to notice it and take low breaths instead, you will give yourself far more access to your thinking. Particularly useful when you're at a sales meeting, public speaking, or just communicating with your kids!!

What's more, it can have a significant effect on how decisive and authoritative you sound. Think of police officers or soldiers – how calm they always sound: they’re breathing low. 

I also just noticed that how I was sitting was preventing me from breathing properly - time to scooch forward onto the edge of the seat (knees below hips is the rule...). I need brains to write these brainy articles...

So - holding one hand discreetly on your stomach at stressful moments will help you to notice what you’re doing.  When you breathe low and talk slowly, people believe what you say.  Try it in your next sales meeting.

 

by Penelope Else

(with thanks to Michael Grinder)

Freer Mind