BREATH

by Dr. Carol Renaud Gaffney

Preparation

Ahhhh - - take a slow, deep breath - - ahhhh. Enjoy this breath. Notice breath as it enters - - and then as it leaves. Feel breath come coolly into your nostrils and then feel breath as it leaves with warmth over your lips or through your nose. Listen as breath enters - - Ha-a-a-am. Listen as breath leaves - - S-a-a-a. Observe breath. Notice where breath goes. Feel breath enter your lungs - - feel your lungs expand - - feel breath leave your lungs - - feel your lungs deflate. With this simple action of breathing, you have life. Breath - - simple and elegant - - it does not need to be taught. You can't buy it at any store, yet with the experience of breath and breathing, you have a wonderful tool, one that enables you to recover from daily stress and the resulting wear and tear on your body and mind.

As you learn more about breath you can learn more about yourself. As you learn to manage breath you will be able to manage your thinking, your moods, and your responses to stress.

Practice

Okay now - - find a comfortable position. Place your right hand on your abdomen so your thumb is on your navel. Breathe as you usually do. What happens to your hand? Does it rise or fall as you breathe in? If it rises, then to some extent you are breathing abdominally - a healthy, complete breath. If your hand falls as you breathe in, you are probably breathing with your chest muscles and not getting as much from your effort as you could. It is easier to notice your breathing and to switch to abdominal breathing when you are lying on your back.

With a few easy steps and a bit of practice you can breathe more completely. Place your hand on your abdomen, covering your navel. Breathe out first with a big sigh of relief, or like you are blowing into a balloon. Then give a couple of "hoo's" when you think you done. Like this - - hoo, hoo, hoo - - emptying your lungs a bit more. Do you feel your hand going in? Now as you let go of your breath, you will spontaneously breathe in. Your abdomen and hand will probably rise as your lungs spontaneously fill with air.

Next, try this for 5 breaths:

Breathe out, release your breath and let your lungs fill. Draw in your breath filling the bottom of your lungs first. Your abdomen will rise as your lungs fill from the bottom up and your chest will expand as your lungs expand.

Breathe out again filling the balloons, release your breath, let your lungs fill as your body expands from the abdomen up. Breathe out again blowing into the balloon, release, let your lungs fill, and your chest expand. Breathe out, blowing into the balloon, release your breath. Allow your lungs to fill. Breathe out again, blowing into the balloon, release your breath. Allow your lungs to fill.

If you have been only half breathing and you now switch to this full, complete breathing, you might feel dizzy as you take in more air. If you tend to be anxious, this could alarm you. Remind yourself that you feel a bit dizzy because of the increased air and oxygen; however, do not continue with anything that seems wrong for you. The more you intentionally practice this breathing, the more automatic the abdominal response will become and the more confident you will become as you are aware of your body's responses.

Practice complete breathing at any time. The more you practice the more natural it will become. Remember, when you aware of breathing you are totally in the moment, the now.