Deep Breathing ? How It Can Simultaneously Improve Health And Bring You Closer To Your Goals

I hope by reading this article you will see the value in being aware of your breath and also how it can have the potential to not only improve your internal health but also give you an instantly accessible tool to help you focus on those goals and ambitions you have been putting off. Be sure to try the simple exercise below also to get you started on developing your awareness of how (and where) you breathe.

Not so long ago (well, about six or seven years actually!) I did not give the way I breathed a second thought. In fact, everything I based my physical training upon was external in nature. I lifted weights and focused on bigger muscles, the latest shakes to add a few calories, and in all honesty was quite a shallow person. I lived day to day with no clear vision of where I was headed. I knew I enjoyed competing in martial arts and was interested in fitness but that was about it.

To cut a long story a little shorter I started feeling ill. Tiredness pervaded my body, I had glandular fever and was diagnosed with a liver disorder that slowed down the way in which my liver processed that which I ingested. I could not train for a number of months and felt very dejected. It was then I began looking for more internal methods to train while I recovered. While researching breathing methods it was as if a light clicked on in my mind. I began thinking of working from the inside out.

You may be wondering what sort of exercises I started using so below is one of the first I learnt, and applied, for you to try and benefit from. Perform it ten times with focus and feel it's beneficial effects on your mind and body.

1. Stand (preferably in fresh air) with feet shoulder width apart.

2. Inhale deeply. Do not rush the inhale. You should feel your stomach expand. You should not be just breathing into your chest! Breathe in until you cannot breathe in any more. You should be 'full'.

3. While performing the inhalation use your focused mind to direct the energy, your breath, into your belly, and then down into your legs all the way into your toes. You have filled your entire body with energy!

4. Exhale smoothly and naturally. For this exercise, nothing is forced.

5. Repeat up to ten times.

Try it, right now! Make sure you will not be disturbed. All you need is five minutes (if that), throw open a window, and experience what it feels like to direct your breath and energy through your whole body!

As I delved deeper into deep breathing exercises I created small routines that helped me stay active and a profound change in how I trained and thought materialised. By training from the inside out I felt healthier and learnt how to amalgamate my deep focused breathing with my goals. What I found was the exercises created a sense of awareness mentally and I began thinking about goals I wanted to achieve while doing them!

As I did this each day I felt strongly compelled to take action towards them. By breathing life into mental images I found I was improving internal health and generating positive momentum towards objectives!

So, the next time you are stressed out or trying to focus, give the above exercise a go to help in relieving stress, increasing energy levels, and adding a little much needed focus towards goal!

© Tim Webb 2005

Tim Webb is a fitness instructor, Ju Jutsu instructor and competitor. He specialises in easily accessible deep breathing exercises that combine breath and mind together. His site http://www.breathforsuccess.com/ offers a product that provides deep breathing exercises for invigorating yourself, relaxing, and highlights how your breath can be tied in with your goals to move you towards them in record time

---

4 Steps to Teaching Your Family to Treat You Better

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always... Read More

Training Your Mind For Better Business and Leisure

Training Your Mind For Better Business and LeisureModern life moves... Read More

Sshhh... Listen to Your Own Voice

It was a self-exploration that made me understand myself. It... Read More

Spontaneous Play

"We do not stop playing because we grow old. We... Read More

Three Stress Relief Techniques

There is good stress, and there is bad stress. Good... Read More

Easy Elimination Of Worry & Stress!

It is very true that, unfortunately, many people look to... Read More

Myth Busting: What Causes Mental Breakdown?

I came out of a nightmare 5-year period of anxiety... Read More

5 Stepst to Stress-Guard Your Family

Part 1: Recognize the importance of family stress managementJoe and... Read More

Stress Management: Have To Vs. Get To

File this one under the category of "watch your language."The... Read More

Manage Stress By Focusing On Solutions And By Having A Laugh

Marshal John Kruger acted by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who else) in... Read More

Squeeze To Relax!

This heading may seem like a contradiction in terms. How... Read More

Workaholism: 4 Universal Laws for Recovery

The Rule of BalanceThere is more to life than work.... Read More

Stress Managment and Mastery: 7 Ways to Take Yourself Off Restriction

Q. So many times in my life, I seem to... Read More

Stress Managment and Mastery: Too Much to Do Stress - Write it Down, Break it Down, Knock it Down

"I've got too much to do, I've just got too... Read More

HELP! Im Working with a Baby!!

Did you know that more than half of our adult... Read More

How Stressed Out Are You? Take This Quiz And See How You Rate On Your Stress Level!

Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of... Read More

Ease Your Stress ? Change Your Life!

Feeling stressed? Who isn't!! In today's society, feeling "stressed out,"... Read More

Permission to Play

At what age does the benefit of play cease? Child... Read More

Ten Easy Relaxation Techniques

Stress is more than just unpleasant. It's dangerous. Try these... Read More

Strategies for Eliminating and Managing Stress

To combat modern day stressors, you need to realize that... Read More

Worry: Do We Have A Choice?

As Montaigne said, "he who fears he will suffer, already... Read More

Stress in the Workplace

Why are you so busy? Do you really have too... Read More

Panic Is No Laughing Matter

Burt Reynolds revealed his vulnerable side when he realized he... Read More

Stress Management and Mastery: Breakdown or Breakthrough?

Q: "My career, though very very stressful, is one that... Read More

Stress In The Workplace

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions' (A.C.T.U.) 1997... Read More

Putting Your Life in Perspective

Do you often overreact to situations? Are you a constant... Read More

The Sixty Second Stress Solution

It is an inescapable fact, we live in a stressful... Read More

Discover The Wisdom of Letting Go

When a great Zen Master returned to his country after... Read More

Chastise Your Bread ? Kneading Dough is Excellent Stress Therapy

The day wasn't going well already. You know how it... Read More

Stress Causing People to ?Super Size?

... Read More

Stress Management: The Power of Expectancy

On a beautiful summer day years ago, I went water... Read More

Relieving Stress

Where does stress really come from? Is there any simple... Read More

Rested? The Three Keys to Finding True Rest, Just in Case

What do you think of when you see that word?... Read More