Of the variety of methods we offer to manage stress and pain, one of the most important is the ability to induce relaxation. I have thought about what methods would be the most helpful for you to be able to release tension and handle stress. The Three Breath Technique is amazingly simple and effective so here it is. This can help you cope with stressful situations if practiced regularly. To correctly practice, take a moment several times a day (whenever you can safely stop what you are doing for about 1 minute).
Breath 1. Take a breath in and inflate your belly as if it is filling with air. This brings your attention to the breath and away from the issue at hand.
Breath 2. On the second breath, again watch it inflate the belly. On the out breath feel your entire body relax as if it is settling into the place where you are sitting (or standing – more detail on standing later)
Breath 3. Breath into the belly again, this time taking in as much air as possible without straining. Hold for a count of 3 seconds and release. Again, let go of the body as much as possible so you feel the relaxation wash over it.
Try this several times a day. At first it will seem difficult to stay focused, but you will get a feeling for it quickly. With practice, you will be able to settle into this relaxed state even in highly stressful situations.
My former employer, Mr. Johnny Lombardi, had a recipe for living that he continually shared with me as he aged. “Francine,” he’d say … “keep breathing!” His buddy, Ed Mirvish, agreed. These two men are gone now. The thought occurs to me that if they had known of the 3-breath-relaxation-technique, they would have done a helluva good job of marketing it.
I think this technique is terrific, absolutely.
Francine, thanks very much. As you work with the technique, you will be able to find that relaxed sensation almost anytime. It is a feeling of self control that is very empowering.
I am committed to jan’s acknowlegment of the role of relaxation in the managemnt of pain. It is helping me as I reduce my massive intake of oxycontin prescribed elsewhere. It is because of this exercise I use now and I have ressurected one I leaned many years ago at an ashram in rishikesh and which I used in my high school classrooms regularly when I taught there. It is as simple as Eric’s it accentuates the one point of holding ones breath. . . why hmmm! If you have read the “Doors of Perception” you will understand why. The guru who taught me a similar exercise, had me put the tip of my tongue on the inside of my upper teeth, breath in through my nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of seven and release through the mouth slowly for a count of 11. after a few counts I can mentally go to a relaxed stae where Eric suggests. Good stuff it helps me a lot.
Doors of Perception? hmm Huxley argued that Monks chanting, Nazi Junkers screaming at rally’s and football fanatics cheering at a important game, create an imbalance between carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the lungs that induces a kind of euphoria, peace or high. With Eric’s exercise or my old Indian gurus version while not art the level of monk chanting they are a real step to altering the mind to a state of relaxation and a relief of pain. . . .well that my two cents worth