Improving Health Through Breath Control

I've been fortunate to be involved with lots of people from many different walks of life and countries from around the world, both as a teacher and a student. There is one health essential that crosses all cultures and age groups and that is, most people don't breathe correctly. Following is one of the exercises I've incorporated into my health programs.

Stand with the feet shoulder width or a little wider apart. The feet should be parallel or slightly turned in. This helps relax the knees, hips and lower back by taking pressure off the joints and take pressure off the heels. Every energy channel in the body runs through the heels. Bend the knees slightly to allow for energy flow. Locking any joint stops or slows the energy at that point and causes stress and tension. Don't bend the knees too much because that adds tension to the supporting muscles. Later, as you become more proficient at the posture, you can experiment with how deeply you want to bend the knees.

The lower back should be straight. This can be accomplished by tucking the pelvis and lengthening the spine. Try imagining there's a hook attached to the top of your head that's gently pulling your head upward. The chin should be slightly tucked and the gaze level. A level gaze balances the right and left brain hemispheres.

Raise the arms out to the sides and horizontal. The shoulders aren't collapsed in or pulled back, just relaxed and comfortable. Bend the elbows inward, fingers pointing toward each other. The position is the same as if you're hugging a tree.

The posture opens the shoulders, separates the ribs and allows maximum space in the chest cavity for the lungs to expand. Take a few deep breaths monitoring the ease with which you can breathe and the volume of air when inhaling and exhaling completely. Next, without changing anything else, drop the arms to the sides. Now inhale and exhale the same volume. You should be able to feel how much easier the complete inhale and exhale is in the tree posture, as opposed to the normal standing position.