Learn the Marvelous Benefits of Using the Breath as a Tool for Living

Why  Learning How to Breathe Is So Important

I began to teach breathing techniques for relaxation in 1975. It wasn’t until 15 years later when I began to focus on panic attacks that I truly appreciated the value of breathing. Most people can stop a panic attack withing 60 seconds with the breath holding technique described in the Extras section of this site. Most of the biofeedback I have done in the past decade involves the interplay between breathing and the “calming” side of the nervous system.

There Are Two Ways to Control the Breath

1) Direct the breath by changing its rate, volume, or motion.

The most common method of respiratory retraining is to learn how to breath with abdominal motion. This is easy for most people, but very difficult for others. Many who suffer panic attacks find that it makes them worse. Trying to “engineer” the proper breath often is approached with too much effort and the process becomes ineffective.

2) Encourage the breath to settle into its natural rhythm.

The other approach is more of a guiding or encouraging of the breath’s natural rhythm to come forth. It is mostly a matter of getting out of your own way. Once the natural rhythm is established the abdominal motion begins to occur and the positive effects on the nervous system are achieved

It’s Really Pretty Simple to Control the Breath Passively

If you listen to the first two audio samples on this site (to be installed soon) you can see for yourself how easy it is. Make no effort to control. Don’t try to push your abdomen out. Instead, create the intention to relax, settle in mentally and physically, and encourage to breath to become smoother and more rhythmic. It is practically automatic – it’s build in.