Take a Deep Breath Review Sheet:
What Breathing Practice Should I Use?
Practice anytime, anywhere you have a chance to relax and focus on your breath:
§ Breathing stretches
§ Breath awareness/observation
§ Slow, relaxed 3-part breathing
§ Slow down your breathing rate.
§ The 4-count-inhale, 8-count-exhale breath
§ Breath awareness/observation
§ Slow, relaxed 3-part breathing.
§ The 4-count-inhale, 8-count-exhale breath
Practice when you want to concentrate:
§ Alternate nostril breathing, 1-5 minutes
§ The breath of fire, 1 minute
§ The power breath, 1 minute
§ Both of these practices increase heart rate and blood oxygenation and may make you dizzy at first – if you get dizzy; follow with slow, deep breathing.
Practice during strenuous exercise:
§ The power breath
§ Breathing stretches
§ Slow, relaxed 3-part breathing
§ Diaphragm strength training, 1- 5 minutes
§ Breath-movement practices (i.e. yoga, tai chi)
§ Moderately paced, full and deep 3-part breathing
Each of these breathing practices are described in detail on your Take a Deep Breath handouts. The Take a Deep Breath CD focuses on breath awareness and stress-reduction breathing techniques, to produce deep relaxation.
Maintain a sense of curiosity as you experiment with these breathing techniques – do they work for you? Are there other applications of these techniques that suit your life? There are no hard and fast rules, and any breathing technique that increases your discomfort is counterproductive. It takes time to develop new breathing patterns; the most helpful practice is one of increased awareness.
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