Author: Binh Doan

Breathing is something we all do automatically. Believe it or not, the way we breathe can affect our mental and physical wellbeing.

To breathe properly:

Apply the belly-breathing technique as follows:

• Use your diaphragm – the large sheet-like muscle that lies at the bottom of the chest cavity.
• Sit comfortably or lie on your back on the floor. Place your one hand on your upper chest and the other hand on your abdomen.
• When you inhale and exhale, the hand on your chest should stay still. The hand on your belly should move up and down. If your top hand is moving, your breathing is too shallow. Focus on expanding the belly when you inhale and the belly should go down on an out-breath.
• Keep practicing until you feel comfortable using your diaphragm for breathing.
• You may close your eyes and feel the breaths.
• Slow your breathing down to 8 to 10 cycles (1 inhale & 1 exhale = 1 cycle) per minute while using the diaphragm. Breathe smoothly and slowly.

Take time out throughout the day to breathe. Practice regularly and soon you’ll get into the habit of “belly-breathing”, creating more calmness to your everyday life.

Love & peace.

Binh

Most of us lead a busy life full of activities.

Have you (including myself) ever looked back on your day and realized that you checked your phone too many times out of habit or boredom?

When we forget to pause we:

• feel rushed
• experience stress
• overlook wonderful moments in life
• become distracted

It’s time to pause & be.

Let is drip….Pause & Be with a Vietnamese coffee…

1. Pause when we wake up

Before checking your email and messages as soon as you open your eyes, pause, take a deep breath, stretch and be grateful for a new day. Look after yourself first. Take time to wake up, have a shower, enjoy a cup of coffee or your favorite drink. Have some breakfast before heading to work or school. You’ll be more productive throughout the day if you feel good.

2. Pause in conversation

Listen and pause before responding in conversations. If you’re talking to someone and your mind is being distracted by other things, you might talk over them without processing what was said. Hearing words is different from processing them in order to understand the message. Be present for your communicative partner.

3. Pause during a meal

Do you check your phone during a meal? I do and I’m guilty of it. Doing something else whilst eating takes away the joy of this crucial activity. I make a conscious decision to put my phone away so I can focus on savoring each and every bite. When sharing a meal with friends and family, not being distracted by my phone helps me to focus and have a proper conversation with them.

Create more space for yourself. Experience peace.

Pause & Be,

Binh

We can all hear. But do we listen?

Listening is a great skill to possess.If you take the time to listen to what others have to say, you will learn more about the person and connect with them at a more personal level. Be careful not to judge or criticize – just simply listen.

Here are 4 techniques to help us listen more effectively:

1. Eye contact. Make eye contact with the speaker and avoid other distractions such as your smart-phone. Stay focussed on the person and listen to what they have to say.

2. Ask questions. Take interest in the lives of others. People love sharing stories and talking about themselves. Ask them open-ended questions such as “Could you tell me more?”, “What are your thoughts?”. These questions will give people an opportunity to elaborate on a given topic and will keep the conversation going.

3. Don’t interrupt. Let the conversation flow.  If you interrupt someone, it denies the speaker the opportunity to fully express their opinions or feelings. To practice this skill, hold back the urge to speak immediately and pause for a few seconds before responding.

4. Empathetic listening. Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. Imagine how the speaker feels even if you don’t agree with everything that they say. Put yourself in their shoes to fully understand their point of view.

Practice these strategies regularly and you’re on your way to becoming a better listener.

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
Amit Ray – Om Chanting and Meditation

Hi Friends,

Over the next 28 days, I’d like to invite you to join the breathing challenge. All you’ll need is 5 minutes a day to perform some conscious breathing. Here are some health benefits:

1. Increase Focus: Conscious, slow breathing oxygenates the brain. Try 2-3 deep, slow and conscious breaths the next time you are about to make an important decision. You’ll notice that your ability to focus will improve after some deep breathing.
2. Sleep Better: Conscious breathing can stimulate the pineal gland, which is associated with sleep patterns. You may sleep better and deeper throughout the night.
3. Reduce Stress: This fast-paced and modern lifestyle tends to cause stress and hence most of us would form a habit of quick and shallow breathing. Deep and conscious breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn creates the natural relaxation response.
4. Healthy Cells: Our body cells use the oxygen we breathe to generate energy from the food we eat. Conscious and deep breathing provides more oxygen to these cells so they can function more efficiently.
5. Lower Blood Pressure: The heart muscle is supported by full, long, slow and deep breaths. This practice reduces blood pressure and heart rate.

Start today. For the next 28 days, you can practice conscious breathing and apply the following techniques. Choose the technique that works best for you depending on the time of the day:

To practice anywhere, anytime

• Close your eyes if you can.
• Sharply inhale 5 times through your nose without exhaling.
• Pause for 5.
• Exhale completely through your mouth as if you’re fogging up a window—slowly and evenly.
• Repeat 15 times.

To practice at home

• Sit cross-legged in a dark, quiet room.
• Close your eyes.
• Using your thumb, cover up your right nostril, and breathe deeply through your left nostril for a count of 6.
• Pause for a count of 2.
• Remove your thumb, and cover your left nostril with your forefinger, and exhale completely through your right nostril for a count of 6.
• Repeat 10 to 15 times.

To practice at work

• Close your eyes if you can.
• Inhale through your nose evenly and deeply for a count of 8.
• Pause for a count of 3.
• Exhale completely through your nose for a count of 8.
• Pause for a count of 3.
• Repeat 10 to 15 times.

To practice if you can’t sleep

• Keeping your eyes closed, and lying flat on your back in bed, deeply inhale through your nose for a count of 6.
• Pause for a count of 3.
• Slowly exhale completely through your nose for a count of 6.
• Pause for a count of 3.
• Deeply inhale through your nose for a count of 8.
• Pause for a count of 3.
• Exhale completely through your nose for a count of 8.
• Repeat steps, each time increasing the count by two until you stretch your breath out for as many counts as you can—try to get to 12! Once you’ve done this, repeat 10 times.

To help you keep track of your progress, please print off the Record sheet. Make sure you practice each day to feel the benefits.

Print this sheet –> the-28-day-breathing-challenge

Stay healthy and practice conscious breathing. Congratulations on taking this step to improve your quality of life.

References:

http://www.alive.com/health/conscious-breathing/

http://www.chopra.com/articles/breathing-for-life-the-mind-body-healing-benefits-of-pranayama

https://www.bobsima.com/my-blog/10-health-benefits-conscious-breathwork/

Your valuable comments and feedback are always welcome. Please fill out the following contact form.

Don’t ride elephants. Love and treat them with respect instead. In my most recent visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand, I had the privilege to share food, have a mud bath and bathe in the waterfalls with the most friendly Thai elephants. 

Step 1. Get to know elephant. Share some bananas and sugar cane as these are their favourite food. Elephants can eat up to 360 kgs of food and drink 50 gallons of water per day.

Step 2. Follow elephant to the mud bath. Rub mud all over elephant as they love this A LOT!

Step 3. Follow elephant to the nearest waterfall for a swim to wash the mud off. If elephant happens to lay down on his/her side, you need to stand behind their back and help splash water. 

Step 4. Smile a lot and enjoy the company. 

Happy elephants, happy earth. 

Location: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

#ahimsa 

Your friend,

Binh 

Life doesn’t get easier. You just get stronger. Back in 2001, I started my Masters degree in Speech Pathology. It was a challenge. Even though my English was good, I sometimes thought, “Who am I to teach people how to speak?”, “What if I don’t pass my exams?”. Thoughts like these crossed my mind all the time. However, I didn’t let them get the best of me. One day, I took out a huge piece of paper, wrote “I AM INVINCIBLE.” on it and stuck it on the wall in front of my desk so I could see it all the time. Each day, I repeated this sentence up to 100 times. Only a few years ago, I found out from Tony Robbins, an amazing life coach, that this is an incantation or positive affirmation. An incantation is something that you write down and repeat to yourself so many times until every cell in your body starts to believe it and live it. Whenever things became difficult or before an exam, I quietly repeated to myself “I am invincible” many times and that gave me the strength and courage to complete various tasks and accomplish my goals. 

I graduated as a Speech Pathologist in 2003! 

Write down your incantations and say them every single day. Some examples are:

I am healthy.

I am strong.

I am loved.

Keep repeating them with passion and on a regular basis and see how your life changes for the better. Believe in yourself. Keep working hard to achieve your goals and never back down. You don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. 

You are invincible!  

Your friend,

Binh

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Melody Beattie.

Packing my car with books, some clothes, and a few CDs, I left Brisbane – a very special place in my heart where I spent 8 years of high school & university. 
On an evening of April 2004, my mate Evan & I made an overnight trip from Brisbane to Sydney. I got a job there and decided to relocate. Evan offered to help me out. We took turns to drive the old Misubishi that was given to me by my parents for my 21st. We stopped twice for Maccas. I fell asleep as a passenger a couple of times. The music was blaring to keep us awake!

11 hours later, we arrived at the break of dawn. 
I opened my eyes, took a deep breath, and sat up straight at the sight of the iconic bridge. Wow! My new home. It was hard to describe the feeling – a mixture of hope, uncertainty and excitement!

We got to our backpacker’s in Glebe – my home for a week before finding a place to live. 
The next day, Evan went back to Brisbane. Before boarding the plane, he grabbed my hand and handed over a 50-dollar bill. I said: “What’re you doing?”
Evan simply replied: “You’re here on your own, this could come in handy.”
“It’s all good. I’m starting work next week and will get paid. You keep it.” – I looked away, feeling a bit emotional. 
“Don’t worry. Take me out to dinner next time.” – Evan insisted, pushed the money back into my hand, then walked towards the boarding gate….
Evan and I are still great friends, and I did buy him dinner when I visited Brisbane last time. Up to this day, I’m still very thankful for that 50-dollar bill. 
Never forget the people who are there for you during challenging times and be grateful for them. A small act of kindness can go a long way and make a difference in someone’s life. 
Big hugs,

Binh