Deep breathing is vital to restoring balance in the body.  Practicing diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is an excellent way to relax, restore and rejuvenate.  When your body and mind are relaxed, you make better decisions, you are creative, you are insightful, you are more inspired and you are healthier overall.  There are numerous breathing techniques to choose from.  Here are two that I practice regularly.

Andrew Weil calls this breathing technique the relaxing (4-7-8) breath.

“Sit or lie comfortably with your back straight and place your tongue in what is called the yogic position:  Touch the tip of your tongue to the back of your upper front teeth and slide it up until it rests on the ridge of tissue between your teeth and palate.  Keep your tongue there for the entire exercise.

Exhale completely through the mouth, making an audible whoosh sound.

Close your mouth lightly.  Inhale through your nose quietly to the count of four.

Hold your breath for the count of seven.

Exhale audibly through your mouth to the count of eight.  If you have difficulty exhaling with your tongue in place, try pursing your lips.

Repeat steps 3 through 5 three more times, for a total of four cycles.  Breathe normally and observe how your body feels.  Practice this exercise at least twice a day, preferably when you first wake up and before you go to sleep.”

Another helpful breathing technique is quadrant breathing, or four corner breathing.  Try this while sitting at your desk.  The idea is to focus on an object nearby that has four corners.  Look at the monitor on your computer, your notebook or even a window.

Let’s use the computer example.

Begin by focusing on the upper left corner of the screen.  Inhale for a count of 4.
Then, focus on the upper right corner.  Hold your breath for a count of 4.
Look at the lower right corner of the monitor.  Exhale for a count of 4.
Finally, concentrate on the lower left corner, while repeating the word relax.  Repeat this three or four times. 

Next time you’re waiting in a long line or a deadline is approaching or someone is telling you something you don’t want to hear, notice your breath.  Are you breathing rapidly?  Are you holding your breath?  Is your breathing shallow…in your chest?  Notice your body.  Are your arms tense?  Are the muscles in your face tense?  Relax through deep breathing.  Try Andrew Weil’s approach.  This has helped me many, many times to relax and let go.

The more regularly you practice deep belly breathing, the more benefit you will derive from it.

To learn more on how to create the life you want, contact Melinda Easterling at melinda@olivesandtulips.com.