According to Dr. Andrew Weil of "Natural Health, Natural Medicine," practicing proper breathing enables you to attain your highest potential. He teaches that the key to balancing the body, mind and spirit lies in developing a habit of regulating the breath. Dr. Weil says that breathing unifies a connection between the conscious and subconscious mind. He also emphasizes the importance of learning proper breathing in order to relieve stress, lower blood pressure and regulate the digestive system. Dr. Weil also believes that learning to breathe properly is a useful tool in learning to control destructive emotions such as anger and fear.
Step 1
Get into a comfortable sitting position and close your eyes for a few minutes. Inhale, then exhale with a deep, audible sigh. Keeping the spine straight, focus on breathing slow and deep, quiet and regular. Continue this exercise for at least 8 full breaths, in and out.
Step 2
Open your eyes and begin to breathe normally for a few minutes. Simply observe the inflow and outflow of your breath without attempting to control it in any way.
Step 3
Squeeze as much air out of your lungs as possible as you focus on exhalation. In doing so, you may find that your rib cage becomes compressed. Try to make the exhalation longer than the inhalation.
Step 4
Use your breath to center yourself emotionally when you are feeling out of control. You may find that it is difficult to stay upset when you are breathing deeply, slowly, quietly and regularly.
Tips and Warnings
- Make a habit of stepping outside each day to get some fresh oxygen into your lungs. Practice yoga. Dr. Weil explains that yoga promotes proper breathing by integrating breath control with physical movement.
References
- Dr. Weil.com: "Breathing: An Introduction"
- "Natural Health, Natural Medicine": Dr. Andrew Weil 1998
