This is part two of my mini blog series on Mindfulness.

Just to re-cap, breathing is something so many of us take for granted…but how aware are we of our breathing and the benefits being mindful of our breathing can have on us? When was the last time you stopped still and listened to your breathing, listened to its rhythm and the depth and length of each breath? If you’re anything like me, I don’t stop…I’m constantly on the move, mentally and physically ‘awake’.

So other than breathing for respiration and to stay alive what else is there to think about?

Breathing correctly for voice work means being able to take deep breaths quickly and without gasping. It means exhaling in a controlled and managed way. This requires controlled muscle conditioning and excellent posture and good core strength which is vital for good posture and breath control.

Breathing for stress relief is another aspect we overlook when it comes to breathing.  Your body’s response to stressful situations is to channel energy to the parts of the body needed for an immediate fight or flight response – heart rate increases, and breathing gets more shallow, and more rapid. An easy way to trick your body into believing it’s a good sort of stress is to override this short shallow breathing with a few long deep breaths.

I hope you find this useful and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Elisa x