In the first article of this series called “Simple Meditation for Stress Relief – 1 of 5” we introduced the concept of regulating or controlling 3 components – body, breath and mind and explained a method to regulate the body. Regulating these components means to practice them until they become natural or until they occur habitually with the goal of finding a deep sense of relaxation for each individual component.

Once you feel comfortable regulating each component the next level of practice will be to unify them for a deeper benefit for your health in managing stress.

Regulating the body should be practiced on it’s own for 1 or 2 weeks or until you feel your body is able to relax within about 3 to 5 minutes.

Now let’s explore regulating the breathing. The effort in breathing comes from respiratory muscles contracting to pull open the lungs and fill with air. We want to do this with the least amount of effort to minimize tension and stress and promote comfort and relaxation. You need to understand normal abdominal breathing and water breathing. After you lay down for several to regulate and relax the body start focusing on deeper breathing without feeling uncomfortable.

When you inhale your abdomen should rise and when you exhale your abdomen will settle back down. This is called a water breath with the emphasis on the lower abdomen – think of this as a low region in the body where water (yin substances) can sink and settle.

Opposite to water breathing is fire breathing or sometimes called martial or military breathing. The chest expands with fire breathing. This requires more muscles and excites your energy. This is the kind of breathing that occurs naturally when you in a fight or confrontation. This causes energy to rise up like fire. Fire breathing is not useful when your goal is to relax so make sure you are practicing water breathing or normal abdominal breathing which that allows the abdomen to rise and fall in a comfortable manner.

When you accomplished regulating the body by laying down and feeling a deeper sense of relaxation after 3 – 5 minutes then start practicing normal abdominal breathing. Practice normal abdominal breathing for 10 to 20 minutes each day until you feel comfortable and more relaxed with the practice.

At first you may feel uncomfortable trying to control your breathing. Just let go and allow your breathing to be natural. Controlling your breathing could be a problem for some people and you may need more professional guidance in this portion of the exercise. When ever you feel uncomfortable you need to let go and stop trying to over-control the practice so that you feel comfortable and feel safe. This practice is a gentle practice that needs time to develop. It should not be forced or heavy-handed. Controlling your breath should be as light as a feather. Be gentle with yourself and you will go far.

Deep breathing can provide great benefits to your health. Next time you are stressed out try to pay attention to your breathing. You may notice that you hold your breath because you are dealing with so much stress that you can even take another breath in. Like a pressure cooker you are tensing up under stress and forcing energy to build up inside. You need to let it go before this pressure starts to damage your body internally.

Alternatively, the next time you wake up from a peaceful sleep and you are semi-conscious pay attention to your breathing. You may notice it to be deep and your abdomen is moving very naturally without even trying. This is water breathing that is naturally done at night to rejuvenate the body. Learn from this and integrate it into your practice. If you don’t experience waking up from a peaceful sleep then maybe you need help with sleep which is fundamental to optimal health. Give the clinic a call if you need help with sleep. Sleep is an important pillar of health. Without the support of good sleep the whole thing falls apart.

I offer private and public instruction on Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung and custom forms of meditation. If you are interested in exploring these self-care practices to maximize your health call my office to schedule a time. I also offer free consultations so you can come in and find out what might work best for you. Call today – 401-219-6446.

Simple Meditation for Stress 1 of 5

Simple Meditation for Stress 2 of 5

Simple Meditation for Stress 3 of 5

Simple Meditation for Stress 4 of 5

Simple Meditation for Stress 5 of 5