The 5-minute Breath Break

Are you falling into that mode of life where you are always stressed? I can help relieve that and help you relax.

You can use certain breathing techniques to help you relax your mind and body, rather than stress them. Yoga helps you to relearn that natural state that your body and mind want to be in: relaxation.

This deep breathing exercise is both calming and energizing. This energy that you will feel from a few minutes a careful deep breathing is not nervous or hyper energy, but a calm, steady energy that we all need. This slow, steady breathing gives a message to your nervous system to be calm.

There have been whole books written on yoga breathing exercises. The following is one 5-minute breath break. Make sure you read through the instructions several time before you try the practice.

1. Sit with your spine as straight as possible. Use a chair if necessary but don't slump into it. Feet flat on the floor with knees directly over the center of your feet. Use a book or cushion under your feet if they do not rest comfortably on the floor. Hands are on the tops of your legs.

2. Close your eyes gently and let them rest behind closed lids.

3. Think about your ribs, at the front, back, and at the sides of your body. Your lungs are behind those ribs.

4. Feel your lungs filling up, your ribs expanding out and up. Feel your lungs emptying, your ribs coming back down and in. Don't push the breath.

5. The first few times you do this, do it for 2 to 3 minutes, and then do it for up to 5 to 10 minutes. At first, set aside a time at least once a day to do this. When you learn how good it makes you feel, you'll want to do it at other times as well.

Just as one stressful situation goes into your next challenge, relaxing for a few minutes every day gradually carries over into the rest of your daily life and activities.