Brought to you by Karen Duffy - CYT
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE BEGINNING THIS CLIP
BENEFITS:
Deeper breathing stimulates the 'relaxation' response in the
body. The body is like a machine for the most part. Deep
breathing occurs when the body is in a state of relaxation. If we
are tense or stressed, using deep breathing as a tool to reduce the
stress is a way to bring the body into a state of balance. Most
poor, anxiety based breathing patterns are 'habit's' that we don't even
notice. By 'practicing' this breathing techique you can learn to
train the breath to slow down and relax. The added benefit is that
you are using less energy and achieving better performance in the body.
CAUTIONS:
Please do not do this breath if it makes you dizzy or if you have
untreated blood pressure problems. If you suffer from neck strain, do
not hold the breath as it may increase tension in the neck. Instead,
just inhale for 4 and exhale for 8 without a pause between
Instructions for the 'emergency' 4-2-8 Breath
This breath calms the body down, which in turn calms the mind.
* Bring your awareness to your breath
* Breathe through the nose
* If you are sitting or standing, soften tension in the lower body by relaxing any holding that you are doing
* Bring your posture into correct alignment, keeping shoulders over hips (drawing shoulders slightly back and down)
* Concentrate on the breath as you begin
* Inhale for a count of 4 drawing the breath down into the trunk of the
body while expanding the abdomen - inflate the whole body
* Hold for a count of 2
* Exhale for a count of 8 drawing the navel towards the spine for the
exhale while softening down and releasing and letting go of tension
- UNDO and 'deflate' the whole body
* Continue this breath technique for at least 5-10 rounds or until you feel calmer.