Breath is the master key to health and wellness,

a function we can learn to regulate and develop

to improve our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Andrew Weil MD

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, starting at perhaps nine or ten, I was subjected to a basal metabolic rate test (BMR) on a regular basis. The BMR test was a crude attempt by the medical establishment of the 1940’s and 50’s to determine the need for thyroid medication by measuring the amount of oxygen used over a specific period of time, usually an hour or two. No one explained that to me back then, though, and I remember only the inconvenience of being awakened at 6 o’clock on a Saturday morning, packed off to Dr. Rosebrook’s office without breakfast, and made to lie in a darkened closet-size room off his regular examining room. I was told to try and go back to sleep, though I had a face mask over my nose and mouth connected to a machine that hummed and clicked. After a long time a nurse would come in to change the oxygen tank, and seeing me awake, would always calm me and say, “Just go back to sleep now.”

I never could figure out why the nurse said that, as I never went to sleep in all the years I was given the test. Instead I taught myself what I now know as breathing exercises and meditation. I learned how to slow down and deepen my breath while maintaining a vivid awareness — of sounds, shapes, internal workings of my body. I found I could slow my heart down (though not as slow as my breath). I also practiced speeding them both up (with a consequential rise in my temperature) — it was fun to see how much control I could have while “asleep.” They may have thought I was asleep, but I was gaining skills that have come in useful every day of my recovery from ovarian cancer. I expect to use them the rest of my life.

Following are some of the breathing exercises I found on my journey. For all of them, sit up comfortably to start with, or if you’ve had abdominal surgery, prop yourself up on some pillows so you aren’t in a sleeping position. Often it is very easy for beginners to go from relaxed breathing into sleep state, skipping the state of relaxed hyper-awareness that is so valuable for healing, so avoid doing the exercises in a position that is natural for sleep. After you learn how to change states of mind and body at will, you will find it more fulfilling to do them lying down.

For Beginners

1. Sit or lie as still as you can. Watch your breath go in and out. Don’t try to speed it up, slow it down, or deepen it. Just observe it. If you find your mind wandering, simply bring your attention back to your breath — in and out, in and out. Do this for ten minutes at a time if you can, in view of a clock if you must, but please don’t set a timer that could interrupt you in case you feel like staying longer than ten minutes with this relaxing exercise.

2. Take one breath in, then breathe forcefully out. With the next breath in, watch your abdomen (belly) bulge out. As you breathe out, watch your belly flatten. Belly out/breath in; belly in/breath out.

If your body is not doing this, you may be limiting your breath in by holding your body tight. Try the following exercise in breathing and imagination:

3. On the next breath in, let it in through your nose and into your throat. Let it out. Then let it into your nose, your throat, and into your upper chest. Let it out. Then let it into your nose, throat, upper chest, and into your lungs. Exhale. Next breathe into your throat, your lungs, and into your stomach. Let it out. This time let it into your lungs, your stomach, and into your belly (letting your belly relax at the same time). Exhale. On the next few deep breaths in, be aware of how far out your belly goes.

Intermediate

Once you have mastered deep abdominal breathing and are comfortable doing it anytime, anywhere, try adding counting.

4. Count each inbreath, going from one to ten. Then start over with one and go to ten again. If you find that your mind has wandered off, gently bring it back and begin with one again. Repeat as often as you wish.

5. Count each inbreath, going from one to five. Then begin over again with one, go up to five, then start over at one. Repeat several times. This exercise is more difficult than the previous one as it takes more focus.

Advanced

6. Take one inbreath, then start counting the outbreath as one.  Keep counting outbreaths until you get to twenty or until you lose count. Repeat as desired. This particular exercise was quite an eye opener for me, for it showed me that something I always thought of as one way (one, two; in, out) could really be the opposite. It helped me balance my breathing, one more balanced thing in my previously off-balance life.

7. Count breaths (in or out, your choice) backwards from ten to one. Repeat several times. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to counting.

8. Count one on the inbreath, and two more on the outbreath (for a total count of three). Repeat several times. Notice what happens to your overall breathing pattern when you do this.

After you have mastered the above exercises, you can use them in any order you wish, or just stick with a favorite. Try to do about ten to twenty minutes of intentional breathing at least four times a day, more often when you remember. Additional relaxation and meditation exercises can be found in the chapter “Meditation” which follows this. After several months of conscious breathing, you’ll notice improvements in your body and in your awareness.

About the author:

The Truth According to Sally Miller: Collected Essays by Sally Miller
The 65 short essays in this unusual collection are as progressive and practical as they were when first published twenty years ago. Drawing from her experience as a sexual counselor and a natural healer, Sally Miller treats us to two separate collections. In “Health and Wellness” Ms. Miller reveals her struggle with depression and her healing from cancer surgery without conventional medical treatment, as well as giving us instruction on time and stress management. In “Sexuality & Relationships” she exposes herself in a way few women have (Betty Dodson and Carol Queen come to mind) while offering advice to us all. Topics include psychological & spiritual growth, natural healing, family, relationships, sexual problems & solutions, and special sexual interests. The common thread through both parts is Ms. Miller’s refreshing honesty and her idealism. As well as being a thirteen-year ovarian cancer survivor, Sally Miller is a trained sex therapist; she holds the unique position to see her worlds up close and personal, to reflect on herself as well as to entertain and enlighten her readers.

The Truth According to Sally Miller: Collected Essays is available for $25 postage-paid through SynergyBookService website.

Articles by Sally on a variety of topics have been published in The Affiliate, The Rocky Mountain Oyster, The Women’s Newspaper of Princeton, EIDOS, Touchpoint, The Jersey Shore Holistic Magazine, Street News, Clean Sheets, and others. For details on her new book, The Truth According to Sally Miller: Collected Essays, see below. For more information, see the Synergy Book Service Web site.

Photo Credit © Trinette Reed | Dreamstime.com

Tags: breathing, health, meditating, relaxing, Self-awareness