 Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep (Abdominal) Breathing
- Sit or lie in a comfortable position; loosen any constrictive clothing.
- Breathe deeply from your abdomen, count to four and exhale slowly.
- As you inhale, imagine a soothing, calming strength coming into your body. If you are using this for hot flashes, with each inhalation, imagine cool blue or white light coming into your body, cooling you down like a cool autumn breeze.
- Imagine and feel the anxiety and tension flowing out with each exhalation. If you are using this for hot flashes, imagine the warmth leaving with your breath.
- Do this for five minutes twice a day, or whenever you feel tense.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Talk a deep, slow breath in; before you exhale, press your right nostril closed (against the wall of your nose) with your right thumb and exhale through your left nostril.
- Keeping your right nostril closed, inhale through your lefts nostril and exhale again.
- Repeat one more cycle.
- After your third inhalation through your left nostril release your right nostril and close your left nostril with the ring finger of your right hand and exhale through your right nostril. Inhale and exhale through your right nostril for 3 cycles and before you exhale on the third cycle, release your left nostril and exhale through both nostrils.
- Do three inhalation/exhalation cycles, and begin the whole process over again by closing your right nostril with your right thumb and exhaling through your left nostril.
- Start each set with an exhalation and repeat each set until you complete the 12 minutes. Take long, slow relaxing breaths and focus only on your breathing.
The Relaxation Response
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face. Keep them relaxed.
- Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word "ONE" silently to yourself. For example, breathe in... out, "ONE"; in... out, "ONE", etc. Breathe easily and naturally.
- Continue for 10-20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not us an alarm. When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes.
Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation. Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace. When distracting thoughts occur, just let them pass and do not dwell on them and return to repeating "ONE". With practice the technique should come with little effort, however, wait two hours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interfere with the elicitation of the Relaxation Response. |
