Breathing is a basic physiological need we have to maintain to survive and I believe the power of our breath is one of our best assets, but when was the last time you breathed properly? I mean truly took some time to breathe in and out deeply, refreshing your mind, body and soul? Often we breathe a shallow, un-nourishing breath. Are you aware if we breathe more deeply it can have a profound effect on our nervous system, our capacity to think and the replenishment of vital energy in our body?

Optimise your mindfulness practice with the power of the breath

When Stefanie Broes, the founder of moonbird approached me to review the hand-held device created to help you breathe properly, I jumped at the chance. Yes, I might be a self care coach, but even I need to practice what I preach more often. I teach others the power of mindfulness and meditation, the power of the breath; but as an asthmatic, I’m often breathing shallowly and not focusing on reclaiming the power of the breath. I was intrigued as to the experience I would have with moonbird and this clever little gadget didn’t disappoint. Moonbird is described as “𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵” - The easiest way to relax more, lower your stress, and sleep better.

Copyright Christine Smeyers Soul Studio Christine www.instagram.com/soulstudio_christine

The team at moonbird are developing tools to guide people to (re)discover the full potential of their own breathing, to improve their mental and physical health. Why do we need a tool like this though when breathing comes so naturally? - I think it’s two-fold.

Having a device like this is a prompt to remind you to tap into the power of the breath more deeply. Having a tool to guide you can help with how deep you go to get in touch with the true power of the breath, the prompt is almost the permission slip to pause and by investing in a moonbird, you are investing in your own self care practice.

As well as the prompt, we often need something to help us with the action, the connection to the app and four different breathing exercises give focus, and some dedicated time for mindfulness and can assist you for however little or long you need. Sometimes we need that tool to make sure we stick with a mindfulness practice!

"Most of us breathe unconsciously, without paying much attention to it. But what if by changing the way we breathe, we can change the way we feel, sleep and live?” Stefanie Broes, founder of moonbird

My experience with moonbird

I tested the device out for a week, I like seven days to try something and even took it with me on a spa day to make sure I had my daily practice (and to show it to a friend!). I kept the moonbird on the side of my bed to act as a prompt to use it before going to bed each night.

I tried the various programmes on the app but mostly used the “falling asleep” programme to help me slow down and quiet my mind before I read a few pages of my book and switched off my light to go to sleep.

Yes, it took time to get used to it - I have small hands so sometimes I have to hold it with two hands to feel the full effect of the inhale and exhale motion. Moonbird gives a silent but tactile signal of contracting and expanding in the palm of your hand. You don’t have to think or count, just feel and breathe along. I often find it takes time to allow myself those moments of self care, to focus on the breath and to shift it a little, so any tool to help me to breathe deeper and in a more concentrated way to get the full benefits of it is a winner for me.

It’s great that it’s linked to an app and I can choose the type of breathing programme I need at the moment. But it’s also great to step away from the technology, just to sit and be and to practice a simple breathing exercise when it’s not connected to the app.

By using the app I could tap into my heart rate, my heart rate variability and coherence - if you’re a bit of a science geek you’ll love the apps tracking of this. Your heart rate speeds up on the inhale and slows down again on the exhale to maximise your oxygen update. By having the app track the scoring on this, I can see what is working when it comes to my breathing style and what’s not and adjust accordingly using the different breathing exercises. Brilliant if you’re motivated by stats!

moonbird personal breathing device — Copyright Christine Smeyers Soul Studio Christine www.instagram.com/soulstudio_christine

“Paying conscious attention to our breathing can have tremendous health benefits, ranging from deeper sleep to more creativity and everything in between. And the beauty of it is that this is available to all. We just need to become aware of the full potential of our own breath in order to tap into its effects.” Stefanie Broes, founder of moonbird

Although I used the moonbird at night for myself, I will now have it on my desk for those moments during the day when I need a reset, some calm or if I’m teaching a breathing exercise or mindfulness session, I can lean into using this as support too in the inhale and exhale of moments of calm.

One of the easiest ways to tap into mindfulness as a tool for stress management, as well as calming your central nervous system is through the power of our breath. It’s a practice we can lean into at any time and usually, people don’t even know we are doing anything, so you can practice these tips at your desk! Giving yourself a few moments to focus in on the breath, taking nice long deep breaths and focusing on the flow of the breath can be very calming whether in a stressful situation or simply creating a relaxing practice for day-to-day life. Whether you do this assisted with a device like moonbird or simply alone focusing on the breath - you will feel the benefits.

Find out more about moonbird, the personal breathing coach here, it’s available in green, blue, white and black and if you need to build your own self care toolkit, visit my shop here www.selfcaresurvivalkit.co.uk

Disclosure: moonbird gifted me a device to test out for this blog, however, this is not a paid partnership and all views are my own, based upon experience.

Optimise your mindfulness practice with the power of the breath

Optimise your mindfulness practice with the power of the breath

My experience with moonbird

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