Registered Massage Therapist Member of the Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia since 2000 The Halifax Professional Centre 5991 Spring Garden Road • Suite 577 Halifax, Nova Scotia • B3H 1Y6 [email protected] 902 • 580 • 2708
These are strange and challenging times, indeed. What can we do when difficult emotions rise up within us - anxiety, fear, anger, panic? One answer is always available to you, anywhere and at any time. Breathing.
Shallow breathing limits the diaphragm's range of motion. The lowest portion of the lungs - which is where many small blood vessels instrumental in carrying oxygen to your body's cells reside - never gets a full share of oxygenated air. That can make you feel short of breath and anxious. Mindful, deep breathing encourages full oxygen exchange - the trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. It slows the heartbeat, lowers or stabilizes blood pressure, settles the nervous system and provides an al