Friday, August 14, 2009

Relax - Breathe!


Breathing 4-6-8

Do you want to reduce stress? It can require a number of time-consuming adjustments such as improving self care and diet, exercising more, balancing work and family activities, and addressing interpersonal conflicts.

However, there is an easy exercise, almost like pushing a button, that is guaranteed to instantly reduce your stress and make you more relaxed in moments: Breathing 4-6-8.

Breathing 4-6-8 involves inhaling through the nose for four seconds, holding your breath for six seconds, exhaling through your mouth for eight seconds, and repeating that process two more times without a pause.

Some tips and warnings:

Practice Breathing 4-6-8 whenever you feel especially stressed
Practice 2-3 times a day for regular maintenance, to reduce your overall stress level
Practice Breathing 4-6-8 at most four times a day, and no more frequently than every two hours
Using this technique too often can cause you to become excessively relaxed or cause blood pressure to drop too low
Excessive practice can also diminish the relaxation effect of the technique

Try it, you’ll like it.

Practice with an instructor
Click this link to listen to an audio/mp3 file guiding you through this technique

Make it a gr8 day with 4-6-8!