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Breathe easy at the Rio Olympics
Breathing is taken so much for granted, yet many of us don’t know how to do it properly when we need to be at our best. Maybe we could all benefit from practising some of the techniques our professional athletes use on a regular basis to quieten down our noisy inner critic in order to do well.
When this noise in our head becomes infuriatingly loud, it turns on the stress response, which can make us feel quite overwhelmed, insecure and riddled with self-doubt – not at all what we need if you’re about to run the race of your life or make that all-important first impression!
Learning to quieten that critical voice can help in these moments. As you become aware of these harsh words going around in your head, locate the spots in your body where you may be feeling any tension. You might notice a tightening of your stomach, your shoulders tensing up or your jaw becoming rigid. Place your hand in the middle of your chest and enjoy its warm, gentle weight amidst the discomfort of all this self-judgement.
Let your breath come through and meet this from the inside of your body. Then find something nice to say to yourself. In other words, interrupt all the critical tirade with some compassion and kindness. If you can’t quite believe these soothing, gentle words, then say something else that you do believe, just so long as whatever you’re saying to yourself remains positive.
Stay with this until you feel your body and mind becoming calm and still, enabling you to be more present with yourself, your surroundings and everyone around you. Wonderful……the sunshine of Copacabana Beach in Rio may be miles away, but there’s still nothing quite like dreaming about it!!