There are many parts to a house. There are many “parts” to health.
Of all the parts to health, breath and laughter may be the greatest…maybe!
Surely we need water. Surely we need food. Surely we need to stay warm enough and cool enough and all of that. Yet, we breathe almost continuously and HOW WE BREATHE changes HOW WE ARE and HOW WE RESPOND to the world around us in every moment.
There’s a deep connection between how we breathe and our inner states which drive SO much of the quality of our lives. Whether we realize it in every moment or not, we are living on a ball (that is hurling through space no less) and we are connected to it in every single moment. This planet we live on and whose atmosphere we live in is the source of our material existence.
The most readily available opportunity we have to connect with our lives in this world is through our breath. And while there are many breathing techniques to change our states and improve our health, the most grounding way to connect through breath is with Box Breathing.
The short explanation of how to box breathe is; breathe in for a three count, hold for a three count, breathe out for a three count and hold out for a three count. Repeat. If a three count is too long, start with a two count, etc. As a three count becomes easier increase to a four count and so on.
Also, AND THIS IS KEY, breathe in and out through your nose and into your belly rather than lifting your chest and limiting the breath to the top of your lungs.
One of the challenges for some folks in belly breathing is that it brings up feelings in their gut. That is actually part of the medicine of belly breathing. Feelings are good! That’s why we have them. Even the uncomfortable ones are good. They arise for us to experience something.
And LAUGHTER? There is no doubt that laughter is good medicine! (Not to be confused with pharmaceuticals/drugs.) Laughter clears the mind, opens the heart and raises a person’s vibration. Laughter frees the soul from the confines of thinking and brings us straight into our feeling bodies. Laughter can be infectious, joyous, healing. And here’s a huge thing to know about laughter…
A person doesn’t even have to be happy to start laughing and creating all of the above benefits and more. Seriously. I’m not kidding. If I am willing to let go of my upset or frustration or whatever feeling or attitude or problem that is weighing on me in the moment and make myself start laughing and make myself continue to laugh for long enough, soon enough, I’ll have lots of openness and relief and … well, laughter. My heart will be happier, too.
And instructions on how to laugh? “HA HA!” That’s all I got. I’m sure you can figure out the rest! LOL!
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