• Relaxation Breathing (Yoga "Belly Breathing)

One of the single most important healing moves in this book is relaxation breathing, nature's perfect antidote to stress. Yogis have known for centuries--and modern studies confirm--that breathing provides a powerful link between body and mind, uniting them and helping establish a state of physiologic calm. As yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar writes in his classic guide Light on Yoga: "Regulate the breathing, and thereby control the mind."

Relaxation breathing can be easily integrated into your day, since all it involves is sitting quietly, focusing on the breath, and allowing air to completely fill the lungs right down to the abdomen. Many people discover that only their chest expands when they breathe. That's why the first step in learning the technique is teaching people to stop being "chest breathers" and start being "abdominal breathers."

To do this:

1. Lie on your back and place a book on your belly. Relax your stomach muscles and inhale deeply into your abdomen so that the book rises. When you exhale, the book should fall. You'll still be bringing air into your upper chest, but now you are also bringing air down into the lower portion of your lungs and expanding your entire chest cavity.

2. Sit up and place your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on your chest. Breathe deeply so that your right, "abdominal" hand rises and falls with your breath, while your left, "chest" hand stays relatively still. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your nose or mouth, and spend a few minutes enjoying the sensation of abdominal breathing.

3. Place a timer or clock with a second hand in clear view. Breathe in slowly, filling your abdomen, as the time counts off five seconds. Then breathe out slowly to the same count of five.

Perform relaxation breathing throughout the day, such as when you awaken and before you go to sleep, in any stressful situation, or anytime you hear a bell (phone, door, or church) ring.

Illustration by Adam Brill ©