Title:

How Breathing Differently Can Make You Happier

Word Count:
608

Summary:
Breathing is something that we all do, that not many of us pay too much attention
to. Imagine if you could change your moods, physical condition and mind set simply
by breathing differently. This article shows you how.

Keywords:
Breathing, Breathe, Breath, Happiness

Article Body:
"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire." � Quote from
an 11-year-old�s science exam

John Grinder, co-creator of NLP talks about the link between respiration,
physiology, internal state and high performance. He calls this �the chain of
excellence�. I recently read a book by Osho, the wonderfully non-PC mystic and
guru. In the book, Osho instructed the reader to pay attention to their breathing
rate when they were sad, and notice the timing of the in-breath and out-breath. He
explained that next time they were happy, they could re-induce the sad state by
merely repeating the breathing pattern. Fortunately, he added, it works the other
way round too!

Follow some or all of these exercises;

Firstly; When you are experiencing a powerful, positive state, allow yourself to
become aware of your breathing rate. Pay particular attention to the timing and
rhythm of your in-breath and out-breath.

Secondly; Next time you are in a neutral or negative state, start breathing at the
rate and rhythm from exercise one, and within a minute or so, the positive state
should begin to return.

Many gurus advise people to do breathing exercises regularly. I know Tony Robbins
does in his marvellous book �Unlimited Power� he advises that you start each day
with a breathing exercise of inhaling slowly and deeply, then holding it for twice
as long as the inhalation and exhaling in twice the pace. It really is invigorating
and a great way to get motivated at the start of the day, especially if you are
looking to do some things with your day that require motivation.

Breathing is powerful, our life force and is a major factor influencing our state
of mind (if you uncertain about this, hold your breath for two minutes & re-read
this sentence) This being the case, please use your common sense when doing any of
these exercises (if you have a respiratory condition, please check with your health
advisor first.) I do not want any asthmatics complaining that they did themselves
harm following these exercises!!

So, thirdly; Start breathing comfortably but deeply, in through your nose & out
through your mouth. Imagine that you are breathing from that area of your abdomen
just beneath your belly button. Make the in-breath last to a count of 5 and the
out-breath to a count of 6. Continue for at least 2 minutes, and notice what
happens.
This 5:6 ratio seems to be a simple yet powerful way you can induce a relaxed state
at will. The art of Yogic breathing is called Pranayama. Pranayama offers many
different approaches for cleansing the mind & body through breathing exercises.
Here�s one of them (with thanks to RA Wilson):

Fourthly (this may seem a bit odd to do, I�d recommend not doing this in front of
friends or at work!) ; Lie on your back & pant like a dog, breathing rapidly in &
out through your mouth 20 times. Then, breathe slowly, deeply and gently in and
out 20 times through your nose. Once again, do the mouth-panting 20 times, then
resume gentle nose-breathing. Notice what happens.

This technique is referred to as the breath of fire, and typically results in a

state of� well, you find out!

These techniques can be very powerfully utilised when wanting to get in control of
your state if you are going through a period of change such as reducing your
weight, stopping smoking or developing more confidence.

Please remember that most people don�t breathe nearly enough. Start to breathe
more deeply and notice how much better you feel. Have lots of fun with this.
Notice how good you can make your self feel when you breathe differently.