Sunday Chat: Health and Wealth Bytes Issue 17

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Health Bytes

The Art and Science of Breathing

I recently learned this breathing technique, also known as 4-7-8, from Dr. Mercola and Dr. Weil.

It is also called the Relaxing Breath Exercise.

Said Dr Weil, “Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”

The key to this exercise is to remember the numbers 4, 7 and 8. It’s not important to focus on how much time you spend in each phase of the breathing activity, but rather that you get the ratio correct.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Sit up straight
2. Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process
3. Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
4. Hold your breath to the count of seven
5. Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
6. That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths

You can do this exercise as frequently as you want throughout the day, but it’s recommended you don’t do more than four full breaths during the first month or so of practice. Later you may work your way up to eight full breath cycles at a time. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.

The benefits of this simple practice are enormous and work as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.

The Health Benefits of Breathing Exercises

Self-applied health enhancement methods like the 4-7-8 breathing technique are particularly remarkable because of the broad array of real health benefits that are triggered.

Learning to breathe mindfully can modify and accelerate your body’s inherent self-regulating physiological and bioenergetic mechanisms.

These changes are in large part due to the fact that you’re oxygenating your body properly as well as correcting your internal and energetic balance, and it has a direct impact your nervous system.

This in turn affects your entire body and its countless cellular functions, including all of your subtle energy systems.

The web site breathing.com offers a list of clinical studies into the health benefits of optimal breathing. One such study, which spanned a 30-year period, concluded that the most significant factor in your health and longevity is how well you breathe.

It focused on the long-term predictive power of forced exhalation volume as the primary marker for life span. According to the researchers, “This pulmonary function measurement appears to be an indicator of general health and vigor and literally a measure of living capacity.”

It’s also important to realize that much of hypertension is controlled by the way you breathe, so breathing exercises are an excellent adjunct to your other healthy lifestyle strategies to control high blood pressure.

In summary, breathing exercises such as the one I’ve just mentioned above have a positive impact on your:

- Respiratory system, which can reduce mental and physical fatigue, as well as relieve symptoms of asthma and bronchitis
- Circulatory system; improving blood circulation and cell oxygenation throughout your body
- Nervous system
- Digestive system, by acting as a pump to massage internal organs
- Endocrine system. The action of your diaphragm helps push lymph throughout your body, which helps eliminate toxic waste and strengthen your immune system
- Urinary system, by helping to eliminate fluids and massaging your kidneys
- Skin. Toxic CO2 waste is eliminated more directly through your breath, and your skin can also be positively affected by improved blood flow and oxygenation

Make a commitment today to start “Take Control of Your Health” from today onwards!

For more information on Dr. Williams’ breathing technique to relief stress and muscle spasm, please check out Guide to Physical Wellness – Simple Pain Management Techniques.

Wealth Bytes

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill

I was glued to the screen the past few nights cheering Lance Armstrong on in the Tour de France 2009.

I was amazed at how this man who retired from competitve racing for 3.5 years and who had just broken his collar bone just two months earlier, could beat a field comprising much younger guys and still manage to achieve a credible 3rd place podium finish in one of the most gruelling races ever.

Suffice to say that Lance has a very strong desire and focus to achieve his goals.

Do you have a strong desire and focus to achieve your goals?

Did You Know?

Vitamin D insufficiency and asthma severity

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We look forward to touching base with you again in our next issue of Sunday Chat.

Here’s wishing you a healthy week ahead. Remember to practice your breathing techniques and start to relief your muscle spasm!

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