Breathing exercise -

Find out why having washboard abdominals is actually bad for your stress level!

Learning proper breathing exercise is actually essential for stress control, as it aids in relaxing your body and mind. In fact, specific breathing methods are employed together with meditation to bring about a relaxed state of mind.

Try this breathing exercise NOW. Take a deep breath now.

Watch where the air goes.

See your chest expanding as you inhale and compressing during your exhale?

Good.

Let me tell you something.

You are breathing INCORRECTLY!

You must be thinking, 'What's wrong? Don't everyone breathe this way?'

Yes, most people breathe that way, and they are all wrong.

Now, why do we breathe this way?

Breathing the natural way

This is Abdominal breathing and it is the proper way to breathe, it is not taught, but naturally and instinctively observed by babies and animals.

We all used to breathe like that when we were young, but then we grew up, go through life experiencing stress, anxiety, fear, anger and tension. When that happens, our breathing quickens.

To enable us to breathe faster, our body learns to stop our breath at the chest level.

Very soon we will automatically breathe to the chest without realising this change in habit.

To learn abdominal breathing exercise, begin by noticing your normal breathing, which should be quick and shallow.

Consciously slow down your breath and begin to breathe down, expanding your lower abdomen.

Then slowly exhale and consciously pull in your abdominal while forcing out all the air.

Do this breathing exercise for a minute or two each time, and do several sessions throughout the day.

Do this breathing exercise diligently, and in no time, your body will take over and you will eventually be doing abdominal breathing without realising it.

You will begin to find that you are calmer, not easily ruffled and also have a lot more energy to see yourself through the day.

One side effect of abdominal breathing is that you will end up with slightly rounder and seemingly bigger 'belly'.

If you have learnt to breathe properly, you can forget about sporting 'washboard abdominals'. That I must say is a small price to pay for a lifetime of relaxing mental and physical condition wouldn't you agree?

After you are sufficiently proficient in abdominal breathing, you would have built a solid base to reap the benefits of Meditation.

If you are intrigued, you may want to find out more about Qi Gong, the Chinese way of developing health, strength and vitality.