Managing Stress with Deep Breathing Exercises

Abdominal Breathing CD PROGRAM

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Breathing Exercises to Manage Stress and Reduce Hyperventilation

Abdominal Breathing cd
Four Different Deep Breathing Exercises to Manage Stress

Key words: managing stress, stress relief, stress reduction, stress management technique, effects of stress, feeling stressed, yoga breathing, breathing, breathing exercise, deep breathing exercise. hyperventilation

The First Defense to Manage Stress--Breathing for Managing Stress

The first defense against unhealthy responses to stress is not Tylenol, Motrin..., but instead deep breathing. Caution, if you suffer from panic attacks and or agoraphobia, this technique is not recommended as this technique is an inward focusing technique which can actually contribute to a panic/anxiety attack. In response to stress, our breathing is immediately affected as it becomes shallow and upper chest--part of the defense mechanism.

Three basic mistakes in breathing are made:

• We’re so consumed with our appearance--looking thin that we learn to hold in our stomachs or wear clothing (tight fitting clothes or undergarments) or belts to do so which limits our breathing to the upper chest.
• Then when we take a deep breadth it forces our lungs to expand against our chest putting chest muscles in spasm creating chest and back pain.
• Some of us even lift our shoulders to take in a deep breadth—clavicle breathing--which contributes to neck and headache. As we adapt to higher and higher levels of stress, our normal every day breathing becomes tense and we think it is normal but all the while it is stressing our body.

For most of us, we are way beyond homeostasis. Every day we adjust to higher and higher levels of muscle tension as being normal until we reach the threshold. At the threshold we experience pain. When we finally get a chance to relax we think we’re relaxed but in actuality we’re still tensed.

Even as we sleep, we may be breathing in a tense manner. The tense breathing also starves the body of much needed oxygen, affects our posture, and blocks any one of our Chakras--the natural flow of energy through our bodies. In general, no matter what the physical health problem--headaches, muscle tension pain (direct effects of stress)--or disease--cancer, heart disease--one's breathing must be addressed (except anxiety sufferers as noted above).

The only problem is that no one makes any money from you taking deep breadths. There are no drugs required so you will not hear an announcement on the radio, "Did you remember to do your stress reduction deep breathing today!" And then hear the announcer spell out some statistics as to how many stress related illnesses are in part due to tense breathing? Have you heard of a TV commercial offering a deep breathing clinic for one minute as you watch the commercial?

Look for times during the day when you are feeling stressed, under pressure, in a rush, defensive, tense... It's during these times that instead of tensing as you normally would, that you instead remember to do your stress relief deep breathing. And all you have to do to engage your first defense against stress is to consciously become aware of your breathing and consciously shift from your upper chest tense breathing to an abdominal breath.

Instructions on how to take an abdominal breadth—the first stress management technique:
• Let your stomach and abdomen relax.
• Breathe down through your chest into your stomach.
• Let your stomach expand outward.
• Let your chest expand slightly at the end of the breadth. As you exhale:
• Pull your stomach inward.
• Expel all the air up through your chest.

If you can hear yourself breathe, you are breathing too fast. Ten to twelve breaths per minute and if you feel your shoulders lifting as you inhale, it is a tense breadth. Just let your shoulders be loose and limp as you inhale and exhale. Make a list of times during the day when it would be appropriate to take advantage of the deep breathing stress management technique such as:
• Whenever you're at a red light.
• As you’re waiting for your computer to load a program or shut down.
• Before answering the phone or making a phone call
• As you listen to someone conversing with you.
• Before eating or drinking.
• Before entering a building or an office
• Whenever you notice yourself feeling stressed
• Whenever you can remember to take a deep breadth

This ready made cd for Abdominal Breathing has four different deep breathing exercises (including one to help reduce hyperventilation).

Notice that a sigh is usually a tense upper chest unhealthy breadth. Since it’s not been a habit, it’s easy to forget to do. Make reminders from post-it’s and stick them where you are likely to see them during the day. Remember, no one makes money on deep breathing so you will not hear an announcer on the radio reminding you to take your deep breadth to manage stress. For more in-depth practice and experience, join a yoga class and practice it daily. No time? Purchase a basic dvd of yoga--no need for difficult poses.

Want to get the upper hand on reactions to stress such as stuttering, eye twitching, head or neck ache, leg pain...? Learn the step by step methods to take control of painful muscles in Part II of this article.

Abdominal Breathing CD ~~$14.95~~ $10.95

For immediate download, click here to buy Breathing For Health

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Links to other useful websites:

Managing Stress--The First Defense to Manage Stress--Breathing (article below)

The First Defense to Manage Stress--Breathing for Managing Stress

Managing Stress--The First Defense to Manage Stress--Breathing
(article below)