We take over 15,000 breaths a day! Here are some tips to slow it down, breathe deeper and allow each breath to marinate.

1. Your Breath is the ever present tool to help you drop into present moment reality. We pay big money for apps and gadgets to help remind us to do just that!  Your breath is free. Pause now and take just three long deep breaths. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breath is my anchor.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
   

2. The ancient yogis believed that each of us had a predetermined number of breaths to breathe over the course of our lifetime. I had never really thought about it like that. Why not slow it down and savor as many as possible? Pause here and savor one long breath. Inhale for four counts and exhale for four counts. “He lives life most whoever breathes the most air.” –Elizabeth Barrett Browning

3. The breath offers almost instantaneous clues to what is happening in your body. When we notice this, it offers insight to our physical, emotional and spiritual state. Think about how you gasp when surprised or breathe more shallowly when stressed out or scared. Breathing is an autonomous system in the body that you can consciously shift. Check in and notice how you are breathing in this very moment. Slow it down. Change it up. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” -Amrit Ray
   

4. Breathing is related to energy flow within your body and it is not just for your lungs. You can direct the flow of your breath into your entire body; into areas of pain or places that need healing. In yoga the breath corresponds to Prana or life force. Check in for a moment and notice if you have physical discomfort anywhere in your body. Send your next 3 slow and full breaths to that area. “In this very breath that we now take lies the secret that all great teachers try to tell us.” –Peter Matthiessen.

5. Find the peace within the pause in the moment after the exhale. When you slow down your breath, you can find this space. When you meditate, this space naturally expands and offers you a glimpse within. Cultivate that magical space. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart: I am, I am, I am, I am.” –Sylvia Plath

6. Become the witness and observe your body. Who is breathing you? Are you breathing or are your being breathed. Ilchi Lee said, “Your body is a flower that life let bloom, a phenomenon created by life.” Don’t take the breath or your bloom for granted. Just breathe and be grateful.