The calming breath

• This is a simple breathing exercise to be practised every day. It is useful in stressful situations, when you require focus and calm. Many Jedi masters use this technique to regain focus or to help concentrate their thoughts and actions. There are three stages to the calming breath technique, progress only onto subsequent steps after mastering step 1.
• Wear loose fitting attire, so that you are comfortable.
• Ensure you can breathe through your nose and that your airways are not restricted in any way.
• If you have a cold do not practice this technique until you can breathe clear.

Stage 1

• Lie flat on your back with one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
• Inhale so that the hand on your stomach rises, while the hand on your chest is still.
  Exhale so that the hand on your stomach falls and the hand on your chest is still.
  Repeat for 10 breaths
• Now Inhale so that the hand on your chest rises and the hand on your stomach is still.
  Exhale so that the hand on your chest falls and the hand on your stomach is still.
  Repeat for 10 breaths
• Practice both breathing techniques until you have mastered them before moving on.

Stage 2

• This stage combines the two breathing techniques learned in Stage 1.
• Lie flat on your back with one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
• Begin by stomach breathing, when you feel you cannot inhale any more in this manner switch to chest breathing until the upper part of your lungs are filled.
  Exhale by chest breathing first, progressing to stomach breathing so that you empty the lungs fully.
  Repeat this process for 5 minutes.
• Breath slowly, if you feel dizzy, slow down you are breathing too fast. If you are out of breath then you are breathing too slowly.
  Listen to your body, if you have difficulty in distinguishing between chest and stomach breathing then return to Stage 1

Stage 3

• Stand or sit with your back straight.
• Use the Calming Breath and follow this pattern: You will have to count the following 4-4-4 rhythm in your head.
• Count to 4 while inhaling, hold your breath and count to 4, then count to 4 while exhaling. Once you have mastered this then you may use a 4-4-4-4 rhythm if you prefer. This adds an extra step of holding your breath after exhaling to the count of 4. Take care not to hold your breath too long, again listen to your body.
  Repeat for 5 minutes, or until you are calm.
• Practice so that the Calming Breath becomes effortless, and inaudible. You should breathe no louder than regular breathing, once mastered this technique should be invisible to the naked eye making it invaluable in almost any situation.

Adapted from a yoga exercise: Ceci Henningson