Centered Breath Technique and Practices

Sometimes the best antidote to our worries is simply to live from one breath to the next. The breath acts as a metronome to center the mind in its stream of incessant thoughts. As your chest swells and your thoracic cage enlarges, oxygen rushes in to nourish the body. At the height of the inhalation, there is a brief pause—stillness—followed by a gush of air leaving the body. The lungs not only exhale carbon dioxide, but also release accumulated tension and stress.
 
Close your eyes and focus on one of your favorite images: a tree you love, a garden path, a deserted beach.

Begin your inhalation by extending the diaphragm downwards and breathe in slowly counting to ten.
 
Hold the breath for one count at the peak of the inhalation.
 
Slowly begin the downward slide of the exhalation, repeating the count of ten.
 
Wait for a beat and begin again.
 
Repeat the cycle 5 times.