Take a Deep Breathe .... and RELAXxxxxxxx...............

Breathing deeply should occur at the subconscious level. We were all born with the natural ability to breath deeply. However, as we get older the stress of every day life causes us to move quickly into the habit of shallow breathing.

Deep breathing is a technique taught in both meditation and hypnosis classes. Deep breathing can instantly reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Breathing deeply is a more efficient way to pump blood and oxygen throughout your system than if you are
doing shallow breathing. A good example of shallow breathing occurs when  some people argue. The face turns bright red, the chest moves rapidly, they become highly agitated and can't seem to calm down - the blood pressue is elevated. All of this is caused by the lack of blood and oxygen to the brain and other organs. Simply put...their body is not happy and likewise, neither are they.

Anytime you feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed in any way, stop for a moment and take five to ten deep, relaxing breaths. This technique fills up the lower part of your lungs first and the top part of your lungs last.

To know if you are really doing deep breathing, place one hand on your chest and the other hand just below your rib cage on your diaphragm. Now, take a deep breath. If the hand on your chest moves first, then you are doing what is known as 'shallow breathing.' If the lower hand moves first, then you are doing deep breathing correctly. You may find that you need to practice breathing deeply until you get that lower hand to move first. If you have difficulty in doing deep breathing, try it while lying down.