As a long distance runner in high school, focusing on breathing brought me to finish strong, whether my body liked it or not. I believed that if my mind focused on breathing, my body could focus on pushing through its limits.
That's what I loved about running. Pushing myself further than I thought I could go. And, breathing.
By my late 20s I'd become a workaholic. The stress of overworking, pushing myself further than I thought I could go hurt my body.
My adrenals suffered, my teeth grinded, my body tried to let me know.
And, how did I recover? Deep breathes.
I'd learned in a book over a decade back that Navy Seals did something called square breathing - breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat.
It calmed my nerves. By focusing my mind on breathing, my body could focus on calming itself down.
Deep breathes bring oxygen throughout the body, accelerates blood flow, reduces stress, decreases pain, increases attention, and improves sleep.
Now, in my fourth decade of life, running isn't a pastime of mine, I'm not a workaholic, but deep breathing remains.
In some ways I wished I started doing it from a younger age.
Feeling angry? Deep breathes.
Feeling anxious? Deep breathes.
Feeling excited? Deep breathes.
Feeling ready? Deep breathes.
Preparing the mind? Deep breathes.
Preparing the body? Deep breathes.
Preparing the spirit? Deep breathes.
In some ways, I think I started doing it at exactly the right time.