A Simple Breathing Exercise for Stress Reduction          STRESS1.TXT
       ***********************************************************************
       A Simple Breathing Exercise for Stress Reduction By Dennis Lewis

       Excessive stress is involved in a wide variety of medical conditions,
       including heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, acid reflux
       disease, strokes, and many other illnesses. Though most of us have
       heard that deep breathing can help us relax in the midst of stressful
       situations, many of us do not really know how to breathe deeply. We do
       not know how to quiet our minds and emotions and release the
       unnecessary tension in our diaphragm, ribs, belly, and back that
       restricts our breathing. As a result, our efforts to deal with stress
       through deep breathing often result in shallow, fast breathing which
       tends to make us even more nervous, anxious, and tense than we already
       are. Though it is extremely important to your breath and health to
       learn how quiet your mind and emotions and to release unnecessary
       tension in your breathing muscles, there is a simple breathing practice
       that you can use in the meantime to help you relax. In this approach,
       you simply emphasize and lengthen your exhalation. The long exhalation
       helps turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, your "relaxation
       response." Using this technique, there's nothing to do except to make
       sure that your exhalation is longer than your inhalation. You don't
       have to count to do this. Just put your attention on your breathing as
       you exhale. Sense the air from your lungs going out slowly and gently
       through your nose. When you're finished exhaling, don't put your
       attention on the inhalation. In fact, don't make any kind of effort to
       inhale at all. Just let your inhalation arise by itself. Take at least
       four complete breaths in this way. If, after four breaths, your
       exhalation still isn't longer than your inhalation, simply imagine that
       you are gently blowing out a single candle as you exhale slowly and
       effortlessly through pursed lips. Take at least four more breaths in
       this way, and you will soon find yourself beginning to relax. This is
       an extremely safe exercise, so you can practice it as often as you
       like. The key is to breathe gently and effortlessly.