2 little steps to less stress
by M.J Ryan
The ins and outs of better breathing
Try this relaxation exercise from breathing guru Andrew Weil, MD, best-selling author and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona. The payoff? “Blessed relief” from constant thinking, Weil says.
- Sit with your back straight.
- Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your front teeth.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Inhale quietly through your nose with your mouth closed to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, this time whooshing to a count of eight.
- Inhale again and repeat the exercise three times for a total of four breaths.
TIP: If you have trouble holding your breath, speed up but stick to the four-seven-eight count. Practice twice a day, but don’t do more than four breaths at a time for the first month; later you can work up to eight breaths. You may feel a little light-headed, Weil says, but it will pass.
M.J. Ryan is a life coach and the author of many self-help books, including This Year I Will … and is a member of Health magazine’s Health Expert Network.
This article was sources from http://living.health.com