When challenges or stressors have us tangled in anxiety, depleted energy, or negative thought loops, we often seek external remedies for relief. But true healing and restoration come from within. Two ancient yet profoundly effective tools to tap into our inner healer are breathwork and meditation.
Conscious, mindful breathing exercises and meditation allow us to take pause from life’s pressures. They guide us inward to a state of presence, tranquillity and spiritual centring where our most insightful, aligned and higher self can emerge.
Make these rituals part of your self-care routine when you need healing, upliftment or clarity. Here’s how breath and meditation unlock our power to heal from within:
Breathwork Links Body and Mind
Breathwork trains us to use this automatic bodily function intentionally to center and calm the mind. Most people take shallow, quick breaths, engaging only the chest area. Deep, slow abdominal breathing taps into the body’s total lung capacity and nervous system, signalling safety and relaxation.
As we steady the rhythm of our breath, the mind also settles and slows its incessant chatter. Mindful breathing also increases oxygenation and balances CO2 levels that directly affect anxiety. Use breathwork anytime emotions or thoughts start spiralling. Deep inhales and long exhales act like an anchor.
Try counting each inhale and exhale, breathing in positivity and exhaling stress. Or use ocean breath: picture waves rolling in and out as you inhale and exhale deeply. Feel your body relax into the rhythm.
Alternate Nostril Breathing Balances Energy
This yogic technique uses alternate nostril breathing to create a balance between the right and left brain hemispheres. Simply close one nostril and inhale slowly through the open nostril. Close that nostril and release the other. Exhale through the newly open nostril. Repeat this pattern, alternating nostrils.
It clears congestion, calms the nervous system and harmonizes your whole being. Use this when overwhelmed or exhausted.
Meditation Accesses Your Wise Inner Self
Meditation techniques like body scans, mantras, or guided meditation gently draw our focus inward, past the cluttered thoughts and into the spacious presence beneath. As we withdraw attention from external noise and details, we access intuitive wisdom and eternal truths dwelling in stillness within.
This is tremendously healing, allowing us to see circumstances, relationships or problems from a higher vantage point with compassion and wisdom. Try a simple mindfulness meditation: sit comfortably, close your eyes, focus on your breath and return your attention whenever it wanders. Start with 5 minutes daily.
Healing Affirmations and Visualizations
Combine breathwork and meditation with positive affirmations or visualizations tailored to your specific need in that moment. If fatigued, envision your body energized with light while repeating, “Renewal and vitality fill my cells.” If anxious, picture calming ocean waves while affirming, “I am strong and at peace.” Tailor the components to restore whatever needs healing.
Self-care rituals that guide us inward cultivate emotional and spiritual strength from within – our greatest reservoir of resilience and inner peace. Make breathwork and meditation part of your healing toolkit. Their profound benefits become clear with regular practice. Be patient with yourself, breathe consciously, let thoughts float by, and discover your wholeness.