TAKE A BREATH

Actually, take a lot of them, and pay attention to how you do it

By Scott Peltin While in the throes of the craziness of life, many people never stop to think about their breathing. We breathe automatically. This is because of the importance of inhaling a constant source of oxygen and exhaling the aste products our metabolism creates, such as carbon dioxide. !n so many ays, breathing is our life source. Scientists have kno n for a long time that there is a strong connection bet een respiration and the mental states. Physiologically, inhalation stimulates the sympathetic "fight or flight# nervous system hile exhalation stimulates the parasympathetic "recovery# nervous system. This reiterates the balance of the autonomic nervous system. !t has been said that e inhale our first breath of life, e exhale our last breath of life, and every breath in bet een counts. $any cultures use breathing techni%ues as a ay to create and direct energy, to develop focus, and to cleanse the body of many of the toxins produced by everyday living. Similarly, many sports psychologists teach the manipulation of breathing as a ay to relax, to improve concentration, to engage the performance mindset, and to gain self&control. '(t age )*, odd as it sounds, ! have begun to learn to breathe ... and it has saved my life and is helping to save "or at least helping me find# my soul. ! start the morning ith +hi ,ong, and take -.&minute breathing meditation breaks t ice a day&as ell as 'mini&med' breaks hourly. /ey, ! even practiced alking&breathing& meditation hile in the seemingly endless 0enver airport security line. (nd, yikes, it orked.' & $anagement ,uru Tom Peters The Tignum 1ecovery System uses several different types of breathing techni%ues. T o are very simple to learn and very po erful. The first is diaphragmatic breathing and the second is 2&3&4 breathing. 0iaphragmatic breathing is a simple techni%ue that can be used any here. 5ou can use it to elicit a relaxation response, to rebalance the autonomic nervous system, to turn on the creative right brain, and to reduce the effects of stress. To learn to diaphragmatic breathe, place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, 6ust above your belly button. (s you inhale slo ly through your nose, try to make the hand on your stomach rise hile the hand on your chest remains still. (llo your breath to fill your lungs from the bottom up to the top. Slo ly exhale "through your nose to maintain your energy or through your mouth to release energy# in a reverse se%uence. 1epeat this se%uence for several minutes and notice the immediate calming and centering effect. 7se 2&3&4 breathing to create focus, improve oxygenation of the brain and ma6or organs, rebalance the autonomic nervous system, detoxify the body, and reduce the effects of stress. 0uring 2&3&4 breathing, you inhale through your nose on a count of four. 5ou hold your full breath for a count of seven. Then you slo ly lengthen exhalation over a count of eight "through your nose to maintain your energy or through your mouth to release energy#. 1epeat this se%uence up to nine times and then return to normal breathing. 8earning to breathe is a great ay to %uickly recover from the many stresses you face every day. !t9s also a great ay to focus your mind as you prepare for a peak performance. Without oxygen there is no such thing as high&performance living.