Deep Breathing Exercises! <06/05/07>

Here are several types of intentional breathing exercises.

It's important to be aware of your breathing, and be able to switch
in to abdominal breathing for all of them, so I suggest you become
comfortable with "relaxing breath" first. While breathing exercises
can be learned quickly, it often takes months of practice to realize
the full benefits of them, so don't give up!
Breathing exercises are important for meditation magic and healing.
Breathing is used by many mental health professionals as a healing
technique for such conditions as anxiety, panic attacks, phobias,
depression and stress symptoms such as tension headaches, tight
muscles, irritability and fatigue. It is also great for PMS! :)

Basic Natural Breathing:
Sit, stand or lie comfortably with your back in a good posture.
Slumping forward inhibits your ability to breathe deeply and fully.
Identify anything that is stressing or worrying you. Only think about
this for a few seconds, then let it all go. Imagine the tension taking
flight like a flock of doves soaring into the sky. Hear their wings
flapping as your worries leave you, lighter, freer.
Consciously relax your arms and shoulders. Place one hand on your
abdomen. Slowly exhale through your nose, expelling all the air you can
without
strain.
Take a deep breath, filling first your abdomen, then your chest. Feel
your abdomen inflate like a soft balloon, but not distend.
Exhale slowly through your nose again.
Repeat this, being cognizant of each breath until your breathing is
steady and natural feeling. Notice how relaxed you have become. You are ready
to proceed with
grounding and centering, meditation, more advanced breathing exercises
(below) or other activities.

Tension Release Breathing:
Do not let yourself think about any worries or anxiety provoking
issues while doing this exercise. If the thoughts creep in, stop them
by re-focusing on the breathing and counting.
Begin breathing deeply, filling your abdomen first, then your chest.
Sit quietly, scan your body for tension, and consciously tell any
tense muscles to relax (tension often accumulates in shoulders, neck
and back).
Inhale deeply through your nose, pause, then exhale, count one.
Repeat, counting your exhalations to five.
Begin again, counting exhalations one to five.
Continue this exercise 5-10 minutes.
You should be relaxed and the anxiety or tension greatly diminished.

Purifying Breath:
This breathing exercise is used to tone your respiratory system and to
send renewed energy to your whole body. If you have been sitting and
feeling stagnant, this one will reawaken you. It can be used as part
of a pre-ritual cleansing as well.

Sit or stand comfortably.
Inhale a complete, natural breath through your nose.
Hold the breath for a few seconds.
Pretend you have a straw in your mouth, and exhale a short burst of
air forcefully, through the small opening. Stop, then do it again.
With each puff out, visualize an pollutants, negativity and
detrimental germs going with the air, and falling harmlessly to the
floor. Repeat until you have emptied your lungs via these short, strong
puffs. Inhale, visualizing pure, cleansing air entering your body, filling
you with purity.
Repeat about 6-10 times.

Energizing Breath:
Stand comfortably.
Stretch several times, reaching higher each time.
Trigger your yawn reflex while stretching.
Begin breathing deeply and naturally, as above.
Spin your arms backward, all the way around.
Switch directions, spinning them forward.
This will re-energize you!

Healing Breath:
Lie comfortably.
Practice natural breathing for a few minutes.
Place your dominant hand on the part of the body that is injured or
infected. Place your other hand (receptive) on your abdomen.
Visualize energy flowing into you with each inhalation, filling a
reservoir in your solar plexus. Imagine this energy flowing into the
selected area, washing through it, driving out the pain or infection.
Cleansing, purifying, disinfecting energy being drawn from the
universe and being channeled into healing light.
Continue this until your feel ready to be finished.
Place both arms at your sides, palms turned downward and let the
excess energy in you hands flow back into the surface/ground beneath
you.
This exercise may be repeated as needed.

Text copyright © 1997, Zephyr Lioness, it may be freely distributed,
please keep copyright attached.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/6670/doc/t_breath.html

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"Mini" Relaxation Exercises

Mini relaxation exercises are focused breathing techniques which help
reduce anxiety and tension immediately!
You can do them with your eyes open or closed (but make sure that your
eyes are open when you are driving!).
You can do them any place, at any time, no one will know that you are
doing them.

Ways to "do a mini"...
Switch over to diaphragmatic breathing; if you are having trouble, try
breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, or take a
deep breath. You should feel your stomach rising about an inch as you
breathe in, and falling about an inch as your breathe out. If this is
still difficult for you, lie on your back or on your stomach; you will
be more aware of your breathing pattern. Remember, it is impossible to
breathe diaphragmatically if you are holding your stomach in! So...
relax your stomach muscles.

Mini Version 1
Count very slowly to yourself from ten down to zero, one number for
each breath. Thus, with the first diaphragmatic breath, you say "ten"
to yourself, with the next breath, you say "nine", etc. If you start
feeling light-headed or dizzy, slow down the counting. When you get to
"zero", see how you are feeling. If you are feeling better, great! If
not, try doing it again.

Mini Version 2
As you inhale, count very slowly up to four; as you exhale, count
slowly back down to one. Thus, as you inhale, you say to yourself
"one, two, three, four," as you exhale, you say to yourself "four,
three, two, one." Do this several times.

Mini Version 3
After each inhalation, pause for a few seconds, after your exhale,
pause again for a few seconds. Do this for several breaths.
Good times to "do a mini"...While being stuck in traffic... when put on "hold"
during an important
phone call... while waiting in your doctor's waiting room... when
someone says something which bothers you... at all red lights... when
waiting for a phone call... in the dentist's chair... when you feel
overwhelmed by what you need to accomplish in the near future... while
standing in line... when in pain... etc., etc. The only time that mini's do
not work is when you forget to do them!!!
so go do a mini...

Copyright(c) 1996 Ann Webster, Ph.D., Director, The Mind-Body Medical
Clinic for HIV-Positive and AIDS Related Disorders, offered by The
Division of Behavioral Medicine, Beth Israel/Deaconess Medical Center

http://www.thebody.com/mb/mini.html

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How To Breathe Properly

Many people with anxiety disorders breathe shallowly which may lead to
increased anxiety and even panic. This technique will help you learn
the right way to breathe.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: 5 minutes

Here's How:
Begin by lying flat on your back or standing up straight. You may also
sit up straight in a chair, if that is more comfortable.
Place your hand on your stomach area.
Breathe as you normally would and notice whether your hand rises or
your chest rises.
To breathe properly, your stomach area must rise as your diaphragm
expands.
To learn to breathe correctly, begin by slowly breathing in through
your nose on the count of 5 while gently pushing your hand up with
your stomach.
Hold the breath for a count of 5.
Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of five while gently
pushing down on your stomach.
Repeat this process for 5 minutes.
If the process causes you to begin panicking, only do it for as long
as you are able.
Increase the length of time each day until you can do the exercise for
at least 5 minutes twice per day.
If you continue to practice breathing this way, you will soon be doing
it naturally throughout the day.
An additional benefit will be that once you are familiar with the
exercise, you can do it while experiencing anxiety or the beginning of
a panic attack, and you will feel relief.

Tips:
Do not be angry with yourself or give up if you cannot do this
exercise correctly right away. It takes practice. Give yourself time.
Do not be afraid of the exercise causing panic. Remember: you are in
control and can stop at any time. Take it as slowly as needed.

~ Cathleen Henning
http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shbreathing/ht/breatheproperly.htm

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~*~It's the crazy ones that have all the good pills~*~
~~ Kim Cattrall

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