Breath Work: A Simple Effective Solution to Resolve Today's Stresses

Did your doctor ever tell you, "OK, take a deep breath. There; now that did not hurt at all, did it?"

Why do you suppose they say, "Take a deep breath"?

This is an easy question to answer. They are trying to get you to focus on your breath, not on the painful needle jab or other discomforting treatment. Focusing on breathing is a tried and true method of self-distraction.Focusing on our breathing is an age-old technique; it is something that has been rediscovered today by the nouveau health conscious. Women and men are turning to Yoga or Tia Chi to relearn the simple act of breathing. They want to learn how to relax, solve their weight problems, relieve anxiety, lower stress, relieve pain and improve their over all health and immunity.

In order to breathe properly and to achieve these desirable goals, we need to revert to our early childhood breathing patterns. An infant, when he breathes, fills his belly with air. As we have gotten older we have learned, wrongly, to breathe through our upper lungs sucking in our abdomen. We are expanding our chests instead of our abdomens, creating stress up in our shoulders, throats and jaws. If we can revert to our unlearned, natural belly breathing patterns we will be well on our way to a healthier breathing style.

To learn to breath through your belly you will need to first, lie down on your back. You can lie on a mat, directly on the floor or on a bed. Next rub your hands as though you were washing them to warm them up. Once they are warmed place them, open, on your abdomen with the palm facing your belly.

As you lie there; become aware of your breath. Be aware of the air entering your lungs and exiting through your nose. Feel the air as it moves. Release all of the air from your lungs; push the air out until they feel close to empty. You are going to breath in through your nose, filling your belly with the air. Allow the air to make a gentle rushing noise as it passes through your throat on it is way to your belly. Count as your breath in, a count of four is a good starting point. Than exhale through your mouth slowly, breath out as though you were blowing on a candle flame to make it flutter. Let the air out of your belly slowly; try to exhale to the count of six or possibly eight.

Your next breath should fill your belly with air until it is rounded. Keep your hands lightly on your belly and push more air into your belly with this breath. Do not push the air in to the point of discomfort, but your belly should be rounder than the first time. Count as you inhale again. You might need the count of five or six to breath in this time. Take each breath slowly. A nice deep slow relaxed breath is what you want to achieve. Hold that breath for a few counts. When are ready to, you exhale. Count again as you exhale, aim to double what your count was with the inhalation. Keep breathing this way for about ten of fifteen minuets to start. Build up to longer sessions of focused breath work as you become better at it.

Try to fit in breath work each day using this method. You might want to try it before falling asleep at night or perhaps first thing in the morning. Practicing will allow you to re-pattern your breath until this style of breathing becomes automatic. You can retrain all of your breathing to belly breath all the time. When you do, it will improve your health and your outlook on life. Just these few minuets of breath work now will provide you with considerable stress reduction and improvement.

Smile when you use this method. By smiling, you will further reduce your stresses. Your smile may seem forced at first but it will begin to change how you feel. With time you will find that smile a basic and natural part of your deep breathing.

You can use imagery while deep breathing, imagine you are blowing out or pushing away pain, anger, fear or other negative emotions. There is no end to the list of improvements you might achieve with good breath work.

Be healthy, drink in life with a deep breath, now smile.