The Inspirational Breath

Have you wished for a stroke of inspiration - on demand?

Many of my friends would love to experience more inspirations. And I've got some great news - there is actually a way to get there! And no, it doesn't invove more studying, or being more intelligent!

It involves doing something we all do every day, without thinking about it. Breathing!

Of course, this is quite handy, given we all breathe anyway to stay alive.

In fact, the word ‘inspiration’ is made from the word “in” and the Latin “spirare” which meant “to breathe”. So the word itself hides a secret:

Breathing and inspiration are intimately connected.

Ideas come to us on the in breath and we speak on the out breath. They mostly pop into our heads on the still point between the in and out breath. This subtlety about our thought processes is something we hardly ever think about.

So how can you make this work for you?

‘Whole Brain Breathing’

Our neurons don’t store any oxygen but they need oxygen in order to function. So guess what? If you increase your depth of breathing by really using your diaphragm, your whole brain gets more oxygenated.

You don’t have to do this all day but it’s a great thing to do as you get up and when you need a shot of inspiration – for example, if you flag in the afternoon.