Perfect Breathing

Using this method provides a number of additional benefits, such as lower blood pressure, improved health, and better performance.

Normally we breathe 15 to 20 times per minute – faster or slower as dictated by stress and emotions such as anger, grief and frustration. However recent research has shown that a rate of 10 breaths per minute is most beneficial to our health. Try to aim for a six-second breath cycle (10 breaths per minute) as follows:

• Inhale for 2 seconds
• Hold for 1 second
• Exhale for 2 seconds
• Hold for 1 second
• Repeat

In times of intense and overwhelming emotions, focusing on the actual count can be very beneficial and help to momentarily draw your mind away from the issue at hand long enough for you to regain some objectivity and let your emotions cool.

This exercise, as simple and innocuous as it seems, is the most important exercise to master. Once you have developed the habit of slow deep breathing, and your body remembers that this is the natural way to breath, it will slowly become a part of everything that you do. It will cause a ripple effect through every other dimension of your life and become a source of power in the moments where you most need it. It will become your “secret weapon” when you need an extra burst of energy, it will become your rock when you are feeling emotionally shattered, and it will become a peaceful, quiet refuge at times when you need a sanctuary.

Once this habit has taken hold and you have experienced the power of breath awareness, you will begin to notice the changes in your breath that accompany stress, distress, tensions, anxiety, tough emotions, and intense pressure or concentration. That usually signals that it is time to take control of your breath and thus your mind and body. The next set of exercises is designed to help you develop the habit of slow, deep breathing and the breath awareness that comes along with it.