Ahhhhh..... the sigh

Sighing is a way to relieve stress. When we finally get somewhere or complete something what do we naturally do? We sigh a breath of relief. Finally! We got to where we're going! When we've paid the car off, or finally won that argument or whatever the stress is we sigh. We let go!

In Neural Linguistical Programming (NLP), this is known as changing our state. Our state of mind is heavily dependent on what we tell ourselves and how we react to situations.

Try sighing ten to twenty times the same way you sigh when you've finished a really long trip or big effort.

Now try transferring that process to something that's stressing you out. See whatever it is stressing you out as done even though it might not be yet. Move into the end and change the way you see that situation by living from the end. How you'd like it to turn out and Sigh. See it over and over again, and let go of the situation because it's done and Sigh that sigh of relief of a long journey completed.

Change the way you see things and things will change for you. Reinforce that perception by Sighing. Over and over again if you have to, to really feel it.
And get yourself free!

This is a very simple and effective technique for beginners or long time meditators. In fact, our bodies perform this technique naturally…

Take a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. Let your body release the tension through the exhalation, without feeling any embarrassment or self-consciousness. If you are feeling shy or resistant, you can start off by inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling through the nose fully.

Do this several times until you feel a shift in your body and mind. The shift can be experienced as a sense of stillness and peace, or the calming of the chattering mind.

When you are ready, sigh audibly – it really does make a difference to the whole body.

Sighing allows the lungs to fill up, open the chest and make more room for your heart.

As you breathe more deeply you also bring in more life-affirming oxygen into your blood

and thus decrease the ‘squeezing’ that lack of oxygen creates. There are so many benefits to this.

See how your body responds and consciously note what other benefits you experience.

When our body is tense our breathing is shallow and short, in some cases we may even hold our breath. When we are relaxed our out-breath is longer than the in breath acting as a mini detox session, ridding your body of toxic carbon dioxide. When we’re completely relaxed, we sigh which sends a signal to our brain to relax.

Seven Sighs

1. On a regular basis throughout your day, sigh seven times and while you exhale release a satisfied “Ahhhh”!
2. As you release the breath feel the body releasing and relaxing.
3. Make note of each sigh. Does it become longer? Slower? Deeper?
4. In the quiet after you release the sigh rest and relax further.
5. Once you have completed the Seven Sighs, breathe naturally.
6. Intentfully dedicate at least one of the Seven Sighs practices a day to releasing tension;
   a. Scan your body first for areas you may be storing tension.
   b. On the exhalation, breathe the "Ahhhh...." into the tense areas.
   c. Consciously relax the spot while sighing.

One of the oldest more powerful mantras is SO HAM. Hamsa means white swan in sanskrit symbolizing purity and grace. Ham means 'I am that I am'. The mantra is designed to bring your attention back to self.....Breathing in sounds ham and out sounds sa..the antural sounds we make as we breathe.

After a few deep breaths, deeply inhale and sound Ham (hum) in your mind, hold the breath and then exhale while sounding Sa. As you inhale, expand your stomach to allow the air to fill your belly, when you exhale, tighten your stomach very gently to push the air out. Doing this while mentally repeating the mantra will sharpen your concentration and ward off any distracting thoughts. It is also helpful to think, at least initially, the meaning of hamsa which is ‘I am that’. Meditate on the interconnectedness of everything, and how the universe is contained within you. Ham means “I am” and refers to the inner world. When you breathe in with the sound ham, you bring the life force from outside into your inner world. You affirm your ‘I am-ness’. Sa means ‘That’ and refers to the outer world. When we breathe out we hear the breath as sa and we affirm our connection to the objective universe.