Harness the simple power of breath
When life brings you stress, harness the simple power of breath to calm your mind and body. Breathwork not only works to reduce tangible stress, it additionally works to reduce underlying bodily stressors linked to inflammation and immune system disruption.
Daily I use a breathing technique developed by one of my mentors and the godfather of Integrative Medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil, called 4-7-8 breathing.
Learn Dr. Weil's breathing technique, 4-7-8
Here's how it works:
- Rest your hands on your stomach to help focus on abdominal breathing
- Inhale through your nose for a count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale through your mouth to a count of 8
- Repeat for a minimum of 4 cycles
Check out a video of Dr. Weil's breathwork demonstration here.
And, while there is no hard science suggesting this, I do find that sometimes simply saying 4-7-8 can be calming by bringing on a smile.
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