Dirga Pranayama (3 part breath)

Dirga Pranayama (3 part breath)

To do this pose:

Come to a comfortable seat. You can sit on your mat, on a pillow on the floor, on your bed, wherever you feel comfortable. Close your eyes and just start to breathe normally. When you’re ready, start to breathe deeper into your low belly, filling it up. Then move the breath into your lower ribs, filling them up completely, and finally moving the breath up into your chest and your heart. Hold at the top of your inhale for just a moment before releasing the breath starting with your chest and heart, then down through your ribs, and finally out of your low belly. Continue this pattern for as long as it feels good in your body but for at least 10 long breaths. You can place one hand on your belly and one on your heart to help feel the sensation of rising with each part of the breath. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It brings more awareness to your breath, which in turn increases your mindfulness. Focusing so intently on where you are placing your breath is a great way to practice breath awareness for beginners because it’s much harder for your mind to wander with this to focus on! This creates a mindful setting for you so that you can focus on the present moment and calm your mind. 
• It increases oxygen supply. Scientific evidence done on this practice has shown an increase in your blood oxygen levels following this practice. This is thought to be because of how it teaches you to deep breath into the lowest parts of your lungs, opening them up. Increased oxygen helps rejuvenate your body and your mind, decreasing pain in your muscles and anxiety after a long day.