Take a Moment: Guided Breathing for Workplace Well-Being

By Alice Landwehr, Managing Editor, KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

You don't get extra credit for headaches and dehydration. 

You don't get paid more for the aches and pains from sitting far beyond what is healthy for your body.  

You don't get extra credit for making your body and your health low priority.  

How do we take a moment for our health and wellness when it seems like there is a constant weight on our shoulders, pressing us down to the ground?

How do we move when it feels as if we are wearing heavy boots?

How do we breathe when we feel as if our chest is in a vice grip? 

Oh, you want me to answer? 

Heck. 

I also struggle with this. 

Well, in addition to the “mantras” above, we have to approach this with the realization that the body we are harming is ours. And we just don’t get “extra” (money, credit, love, support) by doing so. Rather, we inadvertently limit what we can do for ourselves and others. 

Taking a moment to protect your energy and health is often about developing awareness and paying attention to what your body (which includes your brain) is telling you.  

Recently I was drained. Exhausted. A lot of “special” situations needed handling. For one, I had to submit a “Bugtrack” to technical support to get something added to the editorial management system (EMS); I thought my request was clearly written, and I included a screenshot. 

However, I got in response a question that demonstrated that the tech support person did not understand what needed to be done, and, to my embarrassment, I yelled at my computer monitor, “Are you kidding me with this?” 

And I stopped. Paused. Reflected about how that outburst was a manifestation of being frazzled and feeling pulled in too many directions. I ruefully shook my head, chortled at myself, took a deep breath, and answered the question clearly and concisely and with a different screenshot to illustrate the need. 

The biggest and most frequent suggestion I have for every single person: Be kind to yourself. We are human beings, and we get to have all the emotions that are part of being human beings. No emotion is “wrong.” Not one. Some are just more pleasant, more useful, and more invigorating and less enervating than others to us at a particular time. But we get to decide those things. 

We are also not robots nor an inexhaustible resource.  

How do we get out of the stress, pain, haste, and feelings of being overwhelmed? 

Ok, let’s take a deep breath. 

Seriously, take a deep breath. No, that’s not even deep enough. Take a full inhale such that your lungs are fully inflated and your ribs expand; completely exhale. Now, rest your elbows by your sides and pretend as if you are holding a ball or a bubble in front of your chest.  

Do not move your hands by activating any muscles in your arms. Take a rib-expanding deep breath. Your hands will simply and gently open and close as your torso expands and contracts. Bring your attention to this activity only; try not to do or think about anything else while you do this, as many times as you want to, but let’s say no fewer than 5 times.

Soften your eyes. Relax your eyebrows. Unclench your jaw. You didn't realize you were tensing them up, did you? 

Breathe again. 

Every time you read or hear a word with a long E sound in it (eg, read, complete, proceed, deep), take a deep breath. Or choose a different reminder, whatever will work for you, and change it whenever you want.

Of course, you probably won't do it every time, but maybe the prompt you choose will work to frequently remind you to give your body and brain the blessing of a deep breath and the oxygen and air it needs for optimal performance. 

Now, get up from whatever surface you are sitting on and move around. Walk. Squat. Do some hamstring curls. Wall pushups. Just 5-ish minutes of movement before you sit down again. 

When you are ready for some mindful movement in conjunction with breathing, please see Video 2, which can be done seated or standing. The video shows a shortened form of what I call the moon sequence that I do within a mind-body class format. Please follow along with me.

As you continue on the journey to more frequent mindful and deep breathing, consider listening to music that helps you recenter, refocus, and breathe deeply. In the Appendix is a beginning list of names of albums and artists that I like to listen to in case you might like some ideas, but it doesn't matter what music; it just has to work for you.

Also, in the Age of Apps, if you would like to use an app to aid you, one that I like is called Insight Timer (Insight Network Inc.). It's a strange name perhaps, but it contains many options for music and guided meditations. There are, of course, many other apps to explore as you choose. 

Happy New Year! Be kind to yourself and keep breathing! 

Alice has been a medical/scientific journal support specialist in various roles for several decades. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Graduate Certificate in Professional Editing and Publishing. She is currently in her 11th year as a group exercise leader. She holds a Group Exercise Instructor Certification from the YMCA of the USA in collaboration with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) since May 2018 and is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) since May 2025. She has the Senior Fitness Specialization credential from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as of November 2025. 

For more information or to connect with Alice:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/alicelandwehr 
alandwehr.zumba.com  
https://alandwehr.weebly.com/    
AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor (CGFI) https://tinyurl.com/4su7ren8   
NASM Senior Fitness Specialization https://tinyurl.com/3y9kpjsk   

Appendix. Music Ideas for Breathing, Meditation, Mindful Movement

Albums:
Healing Collection I, II, III (Label: Pacific Moon, 2001, 2002, 2003)
Graces of Asia (Label: Pacific Moon, 2003)
Cherry Blossoms (Label: Pacific Moon, 2006) 

Artists:
Jiang Xiao-Qing
Jia Peng Fang
Eri Sugai
Keith Halligan
Elliot Tordo
Diane Arkenstone

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