-By Shayna Ross, CHC, AADP

Breathing is very important - it keeps us a live, yes, but it also controls our body, stress and anxiety levels, and reactions. For example, if you take shallow breaths, it triggers the nerves in the top of the lungs that send messages to your brain saying - "Help! I'm being chased by a bear!" Instead, if you breathe deeply, into the bottom of your lungs, this will trigger the nerves that send calming messages to your brain.

The rate at which you breathe is also important. Quick, shallow breaths, trigger the "I'm being chased by a bear" response. Slow breaths are calming. Slow deep breaths also bring more oxygen into your lungs, providing more oxygen to your brain and contributing to productivity, clarity of thinking, and energy.

I have found that working with my clients on their breathing can have a dramatic effect on their ability to handle stress and every day situations. If they do breathing exercises, eventually their breathing regulates and defaults to this calming breath pattern allowing for a generally calmer body and mind, resulting in less worry, anxiety, and stress on the body as well as improved sleep and better relationships with friends, family, and colleagues.

Try This Breathing Exercise:

Sit with your hand on your belly - just below your navel. Start by just breathing normally. Notice how deeply you are, or are not, breathing. Notice if your breath is coming quickly or slowly. Then begin counting slowly with your breath - see how many counts it takes on your inhale and then restart the count and do the same on your exhale. Do that a few times and then start to shape your breath.

To shape your breath, breathe in, raising your hand (still on your belly) up using only your breath and count to 5 during your inhale, and then exhale on the same 5 count. Keep this rate going - equal count in and out. If 5 is too long or too short, adjust to fit you, but you want to work your way to at least a 5 count.

Please be aware that you may become light headed if you are not used to deep breathing. This will pass, but it means you do not want to do it while driving or standing until your body gets used to the extra oxygen.

You can do this exercise anywhere. I do it in the car, whether I am in traffic or not, though I do find it especially helpful when stuck in traffic. I do this while cooking dinner, and especially as I lay in bed before sleep. I find it helps calm down my body and mind, and helps me to fall asleep. When I do it first thing in the morning, I find it wakes me up. So it can have both effects depending on where you do it.

Happy Breathing!