If there ever was a year that we needed a breather from, then it has to be 2020. You didn’t just have to be battling covid-19 to feel the heat. The trauma of being cooped up at home, the stress of job insecurity stemming from a crippling economy, and the constant anxiety of being infected by the novel coronavirus all came together to make 2020 a bad year for our mental health.
Although 2021 is still the year of the pandemic, we now know what we need to do to take better care of our minds. And what could be a better way to get started than by meditating?
Now, the art of meditation has many fans the world over—one of them being Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra. Recently on Instagram, she spoke about a meditation exercise that helps her feel centred.
“Changing gears and shifting back to a daily routine after the holiday season is never going to be easy. But, maintaining a healthy balance between calm and chaos is inexplicably crucial. This is an excercise I do religiously when I want to center myself (sic),” she said in her post.
You can see her Instagram post here:
“Inhale and take a deep breath in, filled with positive thoughts and exhale all the negative thoughts/emotions into the universe as love and light,” she adds.
This deep breathing exercise helps you focus more on positive thoughts while expelling negative thoughts from your mind. This can help you feel happier, more positive, and start your day on an optimistic note.
Deep breathing is the easiest way to start meditating. In fact, it’s the best thing you can do when you feel overwhelmed and stressed. In such situations, deep breathing can help you calm your mind and body, and just relax.
Not just that, deep breathing can also help you:
1. Reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. And we all know just how harmful excess levels of it can be for you!
2. Keep your heart rate and blood pressure in check
3. Strengthen your core, because you end up using your diaphragm for inhaling and exhaling
4. Strengthen your lungs
All in all, deep breathing is the need for the hour—especially given the times we live in. And if we can’t convince you to join the bandwagon, then let Shilpa Shetty Kundra make the case for this meditative practice.
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