The ability to tailor your breathing to your activity and surrounding is a technique which can seriously improve your lifestyle and energy levels. Many people don’t give much thought to breathing – it’s something we take for granted and something we tend to do without really trying. However if we breathe in the wrong way when participating in different kinds of activities – it can actually have a negative effect on our bodies and can make us less energetic.

There are different situations when you should try and alter (or monitor) your breathing though, such as exercise (especially when jogging, running or swimming), singing, stressful situations and even while you’re sat at your desk at work.

What to remember when running or jogging

When you are running or jogging, you are pushing your body and your lungs to maximum effort levels – so it is more important than ever to correct your breathing technique. If you’re breathing in the wrong way during intense exercise then your stamina levels can be hugely affected –without proper breathing there is not enough oxygen getting around to power your body. Try creating a pattern for your breathing (it might help to pick a foot, and try to always breathe in when pacing with that side of your body). By creating a pattern, you’ll concentrate your bodies attempts at breathing correctly. Many joggers also claim that simply breathing in through your nose, and out through your mouth at a steady pace can greatly improve endurance.

What to remember when walking

If you’re a walker (not a runner) then the important thing to remember is deep breaths. Breathing deeply and fully when walking will keen you feeling fresh and keep you in rhythm with your steps. Don’t try and make your breathing more rapid than it needs to be when walking, as this will lead to shortness of breath and stitches.

What to remember when singing

If you love your singing, then you’ll already know how important breathing is for this activity. Incorrect breathing can actually ruin your vocal techniques – so it’s great you’ve decided to research into how to do it properly. An important part of breathing technique when singing is not rushing – let yourself take a breath if you need to, as it will let you carry a note further. If you rush your body into breathing you are more likely to stumble on your words as you try to catch your breath again.

What to remember when working

When you’re sat at a desk all day it can be easy to forget about breathing technique or even care about it. You might be surprised to learn though that breathing properly during work can actually increase your productivity – as the more oxygen that gets to your brain, the harder you’ll be working. The important thing to remember here is posture – good posture at your desk is the key. You can purchase great back support cushions which promise to improve your posture immediately, and you’ll find once your posture is corrected your breathing will come naturally.

What to remember when sleeping

If you’re not a good sleeper and you find that your breathing seems to go downhill come bedtime, then you might want to try a different sleeping position. Sometimes the position we sleep in can negatively affect our breathing patterns, because e get used to breathing in a particular way – by switching your position you are allowing your body the chance to change. Other options are ventilation methods – which are available from your doctors or local pharmacy. Trying yoga before you sleep, or doing half an hour of meditation can also help as it stables and calms your body.

This article was written by Cancer Research – read their large information resource including lung cancer advice and more.

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3.

I have heard from Barry Long, a very clear-headed Australian spiritual master, that tension is the past in us not faced-up to.

In a way, I like hearing this statement as it gives me a reason for this unwelcome manifestation and, therefore a direction, it puts me in charge of my life, I stop being a victim as I now have a choice.

Yes, it gives me the choice to ask myself the right questions, some of which could be:

1. What unpleasant event have I put out of my mind, not wanting to think of it any more, considering it too painful, but which is still nevertheless affecting me?
2. What incident have I not fully ‘digested’?
3. What communication have I not made with someone that I should have and which is now creating some uneasiness in me, residing in some part of my body?
4. How did I react when a person betrayed me?

Of course, one has to agree on the meaning of ‘psychosomatic’.

To me, the term means that our response to a certain incident or a situation, first located in a part of our brain, has since manifested itself in some way in a part of the body, in effect had to find some lodging in some part of the body in order to be faced up to.

I find this idea just amazing in fact.

In order for us to be able to clear our wonderful brain from the accumulated emotional shadows of the past and lift that weight off it, an inner mechanism has been put in place (don’t ask me how, but ‘psychosomatic’ is the name of this process), it has found its way into our body – well, not such a long way to go really, the brain is part of our physical body! – so that we could not escape that unresolved conflict, that ‘unfinished business’.

Although some people do, or should I say, sometimes we just do not want to face whatever we really need to.

But let’s face it (pardon the pun!) when pain occurs in the body, we do start taking notice!

Would this mean that every pain and illness including every dis-ease is a manifestation of an un-ease in the psyche or some unresolved emotional issue? Well, these days it is said that stress is prime cause of many if not most illnesses.

I once went to a conference held by a French doctor whose work was very much influenced by the work of the German doctor Hamer.

This doctor’s theory and the way he worked was based on the body/mind understanding I’ve just outlined.

Through cases where he’d been involved, the French doctor demonstrated how a cancer can appear in the body and yet when the person affected by it could retrace a key traumatic event, get to accept what had happened, come to terms with the outcome of the situation and – hold on! – was able to Be Happy in spite of it having happened, the physical manifestation of cancer just disappeared, the process was reversed, ie the body was cleared of the illness as a result of the clear mental and emotional understanding of the situation.

In order to break the vicious circle of stress/tension and ensuing illness, we’ve got a choice: to face the un-ease in our life.

How can we face it?

By starting to keep our body/mind clear of stress and tension. This can be done by STARTING to use very easy psycho-physical exercises!

Francoise Bonhoure is a qualified Seniors Exercise teacher for Over and Under 50’s! She also promotes her own Easy Exercise programs. For more psycho-physical exercises, join our membership ezine here which gives you free access to exercises videos and audios.

When someone decides to get in shape and lose weight they typically join a gym, purchase a home fitness program involving a lot of DVDs and some special equipment or take up a walking routine. There are other ways to stay in shape that are a bit more off the beaten path; few would openly admit to using these techniques but they work and they’re different from the run-of-the-mill methods usually used.

1. Stair Running

Sometimes individuals just don’t have the space to have a treadmill or the inclination to follow along with an exercise DVD workout. It’s hard to say who came up with this idea first but somewhere down the line, someone started running up their stairs as fast as they could and then walking back down carefully so they could sprint back up again. It burns ton of calories and for a long time, no one knew why. New research shows that using intervals during training actually burns way more calories than just running or walking at a steady pace.

How to implement this technique: * You will need stairs, preferably in your house. It’s hard to exercise on stairs in more public areas that other people use but if you don’t mind crazy looks, go for it. Just keep an eye out for other people. * Close fitting pants or shorts are highly recommended; tripping on the stairs isn’t fun.

Never, ever run down the stairs. It can be surprisingly tempting to do so once the momentum is going but resist the urge; running down the stairs risks your neck and is also counterproductive. One of the benefits of interval training on stairs is the fact that no momentum can be harnessed to carry you forward, thus increasing the intensity of the workout.

2. Barefoot Running

Running is a classic habit of fit people everywhere but some people have found a new way to do something so basic; they run without running shoes. They run in what is essentially bare feet. Turns out that running shoes are the source of a lot of the injuries associated with running because the shoes mess with the natural structure of our feet. If you put a pillar under an arch, the integrity of the arch would degrade and it wouldn’t be able to hold weight. The theory is that the arches on human feet are the same.

How to implement: * Since arch support is the enemy here, any shoe that isn’t specifically made for running should be fine. Alternatively, one could construct the running sandals the barefoot running community has embraced called huaraches.

If the feet are used to high tech running shoes make the switch carefully; suddenly placing the burden of your body weight on other parts of the foot can lead to injuries if it’s done before the area has a chance to strengthen up.

3. Breathing

Womens magazines revive this trend every few years. The school of thought is that by doing really intense breathing, one can avoid actually exercising. It’s easy to scoff at this until the statistics are pulled out; the results are hard to argue with. Though not even in the same league as actual exercise, mindful breathing techniques really do yield some positive results.

There are a variety of breathing techniques available but one popular method is to sit, back straight, and inhale through the nose for about 4 seconds; then exhale slowly through pursed lips for 8 seconds. Envision the air inflating your lungs right down to the bottom, which rarely sees use in shallow day-to-day breathing.

4. Dancing With Your Dog

It can be hard to get up the motivation to workout, especially if you’d rather make it a more social event. Many people hate the solitary aspect of fitness but find that coordinating schedules with fitness buddies overcomplicates the process. The solution for many is to take man’s best friend out on a walk or run, but why stop there? Dogs are agile, graceful animals that are quite trainable. Why not add some mental stimulation to the mix and try canine dancing? If you’re imagining dancing cheek to cheek with your Lab during a waltz, think again. It’s not that kind of dance. It’s more of a synchronized set of movements between the human and dog. There are DVDs that can be purchased and it is easily done indoors provided that there is a space inside big enough.

How to implement: * DVDs are recommended since it can be hard to know where to start without a guide * A dog * A love for both the dog and creative movement

This is a great, fun way to get both you and your canine friend active and it’s definitely off the beaten path when it comes to fitness.

5. Jumping

If an individual doesn’t like running or walking, jumping can be a more enjoyable alternative that burns tons of calories and leads to great body tone. For those without access to a full sized trampoline a small indoor rebounder is a worthy substitute. Jumping has been a fad a few times over now but the benefits of the exercise are undeniable. Rebound jumping is great for the lymphatic system and the G-force strengthens the body. At the lowest point during a jump, gravity is 2-3 times heavier than normal, which essentially breaks down to rebound jumping being the most effective and efficient body weight exercise ever concocted by mankind.

How to implement: * Rebound trampoline

The most important factor here is moderation; there is no benefit to jumping on the rebounder for excessive periods of time. A little goes a long way and watch for pain in the joints.

Jenea is a freelance write and expert in the area of weight training and fitness exercises. Although most people would say she is extraordinarly fit woman, she tries not to spend every hour of her day thinking about fitness. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and read up on her newest list of books.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by mikebaird

What is relaxing to some may not be relaxing to others. Knowing what makes you relaxed can help you find time to do it more. Getting to sleep can be a chore for at times. Especially when you are so tense that your mind refuses to shut down.

Your muscles are so tight that you toss and turn for hours, just trying to get into a comfortable position. If relaxation is what you need here are five ways to get to sleep faster and you do not have to buy a lot of expensive books, tapes or a CD series to do it.

1. You can find inexpensive ways to relax by enjoying a cup of herbal tea. You don not have to spend a fortune on those expensive teas you can get some great herbal teas at the supermarket. Several companies make blends especially for before bedtime relaxation. Shut off all the outside stimulation. The TV, Radio and anything else that could possible grate your nerve like the cell phone. Find a cozy spot grab your tea and sit back to allow yourself to slowly release the cares of the day.
2. You can practice relaxation techniques. This sounds simple but not everyone knows how to get the body to relax. This is also a learned behavior and can be controlled. Here are several easy steps to help you practice relaxation on a daily basis:
   • Use visualization techniques to elicit a relaxation response. Think on a time when you were totally relaxed. Now go there in your mind and relive the experience.
   • Slow your breathing, breathe in through the nose and out through your mouth slowly exhaling the breaths. You can gradually breathe slower and slower. All the while keeping the relaxing picture in your mind.
   • You may now start to visualize the muscles in your body relaxing one by one. Starting at the top and working your way to your toes. Tense the muscle and then feel it as you release the tension. Do not force the release just let it ease naturally
3. Instead of buying one of those expensive sound machines you could purchase a small indoor feng shui fountain. They have them that will fit neatly onto a small table in the corner of the bedroom or even on the nightstand. The soothing sounds of the water cascading over the rocks will soon have you in lullaby land. The moisture this action release into the air will make breathing easier too.

So, if you consider it, it is pretty easy to relax on a budget.  You don’t need to have an expensive spa treatment, nor, a pricey Hawaiian vacation for experience deeply relaxing moments.  It’s just a breath away…

Amy C. is enjoys writing about relaxation and spirituality.  Her expertise is in designing home decor elements for indoor spaces that create calming and relaxing atmosphere.  Amy invites you to browse her personal collection of feng shui fountains.  To read more about relaxing and spiritual home decor, please visit Amy’s Water Fountains Blog.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Grand Velas Resort

Have you ever waken up to realize it was a really hard evening, a too gloomy morning and an overwhelmingly busy day ahead to get up and go running? Have you ever felt you desperately need a new powerful source of motivation?

Here’s a nice tip for you to feel a sudden powerful a surge of energy: cleansing breath.

Cleansing breath is a breathing technique commonly used in yoga. That’s a deep exaggerated breath done by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. It is one of the recommended childbirth breathing patterns because it gives needed relaxation and increases your inner, vital energy. at the same time.

Here are the steps:

1. Close off your right nostril
2. Inhale a deep breath (breathe in for 4 counts).
3. Retain the air a few seconds.
4. Release your fingers from your right nostril, and let the breath out for eight counts.
5. Repeat the process on the left nostril.

This breath will be found quite refreshing and vitalizing and can be used throughout the day for relaxation, concentration and motivation.

Make sure to also check our previous article on 3-steps breathing technique to help you become a stronger runner.

Either when you are running or pedaling your treadmill or elliptical, your breathing technique is crucial for both your stamina and effective muscle training. Here’s one technique you may want to try: 3-steps rhythmic breathing.

This means you breathe in rhythm with your stride every time you step timing your breaths to your foot strikes. You breathe in for three steps and breathe out for three steps: breathing in (one two three). Breathing out (one two three).

Here are some tips to follow the pattern:

• Stick to short and shallow breaths;
• Never break the rhythm: if you go uphill, do not slow your step. Instead, make smaller steps to keep the same number of foot strikes;
• Maintain natural, not forced breathing;
• Breathe from your belly or diaphragm, not your chest. This way you will also be stimulating your abdominal muscles.
• Listen to how you breathe. If you hear yourself breathing too loudly, this may mean you are taking a too fast rate.

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