day 3 - 25 Days of wellness
Hey there! I’ve seen a couple of people I follow do Advent calendars for various things - 1000 Hours Outside has one for outdoor family activities, and Nutritious Movement has one for movement to create a “butt for the holidays” haha. So good.
So here we go - I’m going to drop a little post each day on a little Wellness tidbit for you to consider. Enjoy!
DAY 3 - BREATH
Once you’re finished with your journal-writing for the morning, consider doing some Breath Work!
I have been doing Wim Hof aka “the Ice Man” breathwork for well over a year, and it has changed my life. Here’s the gist of it:
Do at a minimum one round of 25 breaths deeply into your belly, chest, and head, and then release.
After these 25 breaths hold your breath at the bottom of the last exhale for 30 seconds (or up to 2 minutes!).
Then inhale deeply and hold at the top of the inhale for 15 seconds.
Repeat 3 times.
If you want some extra accountability and instruction for this, check out my Smash Your Stress program! It’s free and guides you along a 15-minute routine to start each day with for massive stress relief.
This can be done quickly or slowly - there are many youtube versions of this, and you get to choose the one that suits you the best! But don’t let any one of them push you to a pace you’re uncomfortable with. Get out of your comfort zone every once in a while, yes - but we don’t want you to get into a perfectionist panic either!
Breathe in through the nose or the mouth or change it up for each round. Observe your body - temperature, heart beat, tingling, etc. This is all a normal part of oxygenating and challenging the body. Observe your mind - it will try to tell you you’re not okay. Give it another second of observing your body and gently remind your mind that you are ok. Most videos take about 11 minutes. If I’m having a rush in the morning, I’ll do one 4 minute round and give myself a “woohoo! I did it!” And move on.
NOTE FOR PREGNANT MAMAS
It is totally possible to do this type of breathwork safely while pregnant, though I will not and cannot broadly “prescribe” this for every woman. Some safety considerations need to be used, especially if you are new to it; and only you can determine with a qualified health professional whether any part of your personal situation would make this method unsafe during pregnancy.
I personally have continued this while pregnant and just don’t push past the point where I feel the “urge to breathe.” In fact, I have modified my top-of-the-inhale breath hold to be much shorter than I have needed to modify my bottom-of-the-exhale breath hold. I have been extra observant of my body and was extra gentle at the beginning, not to push too hard too fast. I went back to very short breath holds and worked up as felt comfortable.
This is just one example of a great routine to follow. There are some great breath routines all over the internet - alternate nostril breathing can be wonderfully balancing and stimulating... unless you have a deviated septum and you panic trying to breathe through the smaller nostril (I’m with you there!). Doyogawithme.com, the YogaDownloads app, and the Insight Timer app have many as well.
The yogic breath of 4 seconds inhale, hold at the top for 2 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds, hold at the bottom, etc., is also time-honored and effective at regulating the nervous system.
Just pick one and do at least one round of it every day, every day, every day!
See you on Day 4!
