Try this: The next time you walk (even from the car to the office), focus on your breath. Match the number of steps for your inhalation with the number of steps for your exhalation. For example; Inhale with steps R1, L2, R3, L4, R5, L6. Exhale with steps R1, L2, R3, L4, R5, L6. That’ll keep thoughts from stressing you; not to mention regulating your heart rate and your blood pressure. Not bad for easy, simple and cheap. See how slowly and deeply you can breathe. It just plain feels good to be so focused and to breathe so deeply.
If you want to learn about your breathing mechanics and how to improve your health while you breathe all day long, come to my Breathing Workshop on Saturday, June 23. You’re doing it anyway, might as well get the most out of every breath as comfortably as possible. If you use the technique every day for a week, and it doesn’t help you relax, you get your $20 back.
I recently found a fantastic site that augments what I’ve learned through the Himalayan Institute, and carries it further with the regulation of respiratory pattern. I was so excited to find coherence.com and Stephen Elliott’s research and technique for regulating the breath. I used to use a metronome to develop steady breathing for my heart’s sake. Here is a cool link for more information: http://coherence.com/about_html_production.htm