4-7-8

Each day, I receive an e-newsletter from Dr. Mercola. Sometimes I delete them, but most of the time I click them open and peruse the articles and videos. Adam can always TELL when I've made a visit to mercola.com, because I tend to become very afraid of petroleum, plastic products, chemicals, processed food, etc... While I don't want to live my life in fear, I'm convinced that Dr. Mercola brings up many valid health concerns and issues. Most of us would do well to practice what he preaches. Today, the topic was a beneficial breathing exercise. It's pretty straightforward:

The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

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

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.

I listened to the video and tried it out. He tends to ramble (takes one to know one)... but gets to the exercise after a few minutes. Any technique that promotes CALM and RELAXATION gets a star in my book.