Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
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Improve your breathing
I'm often asked during Alexander Technique sessions, is there anything that can be done to improve breathing. It's so often the case that we tend to hold our breath during moments of stress and anxiety, but also we can be breathing very shallowly just as a habit, all the time. But in order to function well, our body needs adequate levels of oxygen and also to eliminate toxins with our out breath. Indeed some toxins are not removed from the body by any other means than by breathing. As the breathing is all automatically controlled by our Respiratory Centre in the brain, it's important that we do not interfere with this natural process.
Improving our breathing can help give us more energy, calm us down, clear our head so we can think better as well as inmprove our skin complexion, shine our hair and whiten our eyes. It's a full beauty and health treatment and it's free. We can help free up our breathing so it's functioning better by doing a very simple exercise. I often do it myself.
This simple procedure will help you to breathe more freely.
Preparation:
Stand up and bring yourself upright, but endeavour to do so without stiffening.
Free your neck of unnecessary tension by allowing your nose to drop a little and 'think' your head to balance freely at a height of between your ears.
1. Don’t take a special breath for this procedure. Use the air you have in your lungs.
2. Count out loud to five using only one breath. One, two, three,.... Speak slowly. The words should flow one after the other without a break. If you run out of air, don’t force it. Just go up to three or four.
3. When you’ve finished allow the air to come into your lungs without sucking or gasping.
4. With the new air you have, count up to the next higher number i.e. six, out loud at the same speed as before. This should be done all in one breath.
5. When you’ve finished, again allow the air to come in without sucking. Let it come in quietly and naturally.
6. Count up to seven this time. Again use only one breath.
7. Continue this procedure up to twelve or twenty or as high as is comfortable.
After you have completed this procedure, return to normal breathing. You may find that you are able to reach higher numbers than you might first have expected... It is also likely that you are breathing more deeply than before. Don't try and control your breathing......just let it happen. Our interest has to be to reduce any interference with our breathing, such as stiffening or holding our breath. See how you feel afterwards. You may feel calmer and clearer headed. Do this little exercise regularly to help yourself be at your best.
Have a good day.
:-)
Comments
Does this mean I should quit smoking?
Good article thank you
Posted by: Bruce Prochnau | November 21, 2006 9:47 AM
I guess you know the answer to that one, Bruce!
:-)
Posted by: noel | November 21, 2006 10:14 AM
The above is really good. It is surprising how often we don't breath properly nor pay attention to that.
Posted by: Bruce Prochnau | November 21, 2006 11:55 AM