| Deep, slow, intentional breathing for 5 to 30 | | | | can focus on the breath going to your tight |
| minutes or more, each day, is a great way to | | | | shoulders or your sore low back or your aching |
| improve your physical and mental well-being. The | | | | feet. You get the idea. Just sit or lie and breathe |
| following are three ideas of ways to use your | | | | into different parts of your body and feel them |
| breath as a guide to meditation. For each method | | | | relax as you go. |
| begin by sitting quietly in a comfortable position | | | | In the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and |
| with your spine straight. You can lie down but try | | | | Medicine, a study was published in July 2005 |
| not to fall asleep. | | | | entitled "Randomized, controlled trial of breath |
| 1) Focus on your breathing. | | | | therapy for patients with chronic low back pain ( |
| All we are going to do here is focus on the breath | | | | Their results show that patients suffering from |
| going in and out of your body. Just 'watch' the | | | | chronic low back pain improved SIGNIFICANTLY |
| breath in your mind. By doing this you can keep | | | | with breath therapy. Changes in standard |
| mind from thinking, over-thinking and ceaselessly | | | | measurements of pain and disability were |
| 'chewing' on all that is going through your brain. | | | | comparable to those resulting from high-quality, |
| This process will help to slow your mind and ease | | | | extended physical therapy. |
| your body. When you find that you have begun | | | | 3) Imagine the oxygen from each breath |
| actively thinking about something, just gently let | | | | circulating to every cell of your body. In this |
| that thought go and resume the attention to your | | | | breathing meditation you are going to visualize |
| breath. You may 'watch' the air going in and out | | | | with every inhale the fresh, healthy oxygen going |
| of your lungs or your chest or have it travel a | | | | to every cell of your body. You are going to |
| path from one foot up through your head and | | | | imagine with each breath the healing that is taking |
| down and out the other foot, back and forth in | | | | place as your body receives all this wonderful |
| this pattern. This may help you feel you are | | | | oxygen. Hold the breath a moment after the |
| flushing the energy through your body in a | | | | inhale. And then as you exhale you can say to |
| cleansing way. | | | | yourself "letting go" and feel the relaxation, the |
| 2) Breathe into different areas of your body to | | | | release of muscle tension and the letting go of |
| relax them. This time, as you concentrate on | | | | anything that may not serve your best interests. |
| your breathing you will intentionally focus on the | | | | Enjoy these healing breathing meditations regularly |
| breath 'going to' a certain part of the body. You | | | | for greater health and well-being. |