Taking a Deep Breath

Just as we have an innate stress response, we also have the ability to relax. So whatever the level of stress in your life, you can gain some control over it using various tools like mediation, yoga and proper breathing. It may be within your power to lessen emotional strain, ease neck and back pain deal with variety of psychosomatic complaints and perhaps even reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

One such strategy for stress relieve is proper breathing. Here are few tips you can use to improve your breathing technique with simple exercises such as this one.

- Sit upright or lie supine in a relaxed position with your spine straight.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose and imagine that you are pushing that air deep into your abdomen.
- Note how your abdomen expands and rises as the lungs fill with air.
- Breathe out slowly through your nose, contracting your abdominal muscles to press the diaphragm up and push the air out of your lungs.
- Continue breathing in this way, watching how your abdomen rises and falls.

A stimulating variation.

- Inhale, following the technique described above. Hold that breath a few seconds.
- Pretend you have a straw between your lips, and blow out a small amount of air with force. Then pause.
- Continue to blow small bursts of air until you have exhaled completely.