By Pat Ingelse, Assistant Vice President, PMP

It’s so simple, and yet there are times we need to remind ourselves to just pause and… take a breath! Practitioners of meditation, yoga, and other holistic traditions have known for thousands of years that befriending your breath keeps your mind and body healthy. Bringing attention to your breathing has a number of measurable benefits, such as stress reduction, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, and helping to regulate your body’s reaction to stress and fatigue.

There are many breathing techniques you can experiment with, each concentrating on a variety of well-being. Here are a few to get you started:

• Mindful breathing. This involves becoming aware of your breath and focusing on it. Don’t try to change the way you breathe — just breathe. The simple act of focusing on your breath usually slows down breathing patterns, making you feel more relaxed.
• Mantra breathing. This technique makes use of a mantra — a phrase or word you repeat to yourself to improve your focus — to help you concentrate on your breath. As you repeat your mantra, you are better able to relax.
• Square breathing. This technique employs visualization to enable better focus. As you inhale, visualize one side of a square. Then, as you exhale, visualize the next side of the square. Repeat the process until you have imagined all four sides, and then begin again.

Your mind, body, and breath are travel buddies, and breath is the leader. Mind and body want to race down the path, but breath will remind them of the importance of slowing down. Give it a try! Just take a breath.