 Find somewhere quiet and private where you can spend the next three minutes alone and undisturbed. Sit in a comfortable chair that offers good support for your spine or lie down on a bed or the floor.
Loosen any tight clothing such as a belt, bra or necktie.
Uncross your legs and let your arms hang down by your sides.
When you feel settled and somewhat physically relaxed, take three deep, slow, breaths.
Make sure the air flows into and away from your body, via the nostrils, in a smooth, effortless, almost fluid movement.
Now, using the thumb and first finger of your left hand apply very light and gentle pressure to the upper part of your nose.
Inhale slowly and deeply for a count to 5 seconds through the partly closed nose.
The pressure applied to your nostrils must never be such that inhaling requires any great effort. In the unlikely event that you experience any discomfort, release the pressure immediately and then breathe slowly and calmly through your fully opened nostrils for a few moments, before reapplying an even lighter and more gentle pressure to the upper part of the nostrils.
Getting the pressure exactly right takes a little experiment and practice but within a couple of practise sessions you should be doing so immediately and easily.
Release the pressure on your nostrils as you hold that breath for a further 5 seconds.
Partially constrict the nostril again as you exhale slowly and deeply for 8 seconds.
The full sequence of actions is as follows:
1. Partially close the upper part of your nostrils using the thumb and first finger of your left hand.
2. Inhale slowly and deeply while counting to 5. The inhaled breath should take around five seconds.
3. Release the pressure on your nostrils, while keeping you hand in position ready to close them again as you start to exhale.
4. Hold the breath for five seconds (a slow count to 5 is sufficiently accurate)
5. Partially close the nostrils again and exhale for 8 seconds (slow count to eight is sufficiently accurate).
6. Immediately inhale for 5 seconds and repeat the sequence four more times.
7. Repeat these actions a further four times.
Breathing in this slow and deliberate way means that the cycle of five Relaxing Breaths will take around 90 seconds. With 30 seconds of deep diaphragmatic breathing that preceded the relaxing breath, the total elapsed time for this exercise is now 2 minutes.
Before starting this exercise for the first time please take note of the following points:
- In the very unlikely event that you feel light-headed or are in any other way discomforted by the exercise STOP Immediately. Take a short rest and then start again when those feelings have passed.
- The breathing sequence – Inhale 5 seconds, Hold 5 seconds and Exhale 8 seconds is the one I train students to follow, since studies that involved simultaneously measuring EEG output and respiration have shown it to produce the desired mental state most easily.
- When they first start with this form of breathing a few people find difficulty maintaining full 8 seconds of exhalation. Since all the breathing procedures in this training programme must always be performed in a relaxed and effortless manner, this is the last thing you want to happen.
- At first, therefore, you can stop exhaling as soon as any difficulties are experienced. Simply note how long you were able to exhale and, on the next practice session, try to extend this time – even by a single additional second – provided you are able to do so whilst remaining calm and relaxed. After a little practice you should find no difficulty sustaining a smooth and effortless exhalation for the full eight seconds.
- When exhaling, gently draw in your diaphragm in order to expel the last of the air from deep in your lungs.
- Do not pause between the end of the exhalation and the start of the next inhalation. The only time you hold your breath is after the 5-second inhalation.
For full details of these and other life and performance enhancing breathing techniques please see my Bo-Tau home training course comprising two DVDs and an accompanying book. |
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