In Part I, I discussed how men and women are different in dealing with stress and also why there are differences.  In this article I describe how proper breathing can effectively reduce stress and put an end to the sore neck and shoulders.

It is a medical fact that 99% of the population do not know how to breathe properly.  Watch any other mammal breathe and you will learn something from them because all mammals have a diaphragm and all mammals use that muscular partition to support breathing.

If you have a dog or a cat at home, watch it the next time your pet is lying on its side or on its back.  You will notice that as the animal inhales, he/she will take the air all the way down to his/her lower torso.  We are born breathing with the support of the diaphragm but as we develop, we stop this practice and revert to shallow or lazy breathing, using only the upper portion of the chest to breathe.  (I’ve included a link in my bio where you can watch baby John as he breathes.)

Why is breathing so important?   If you breathe using only the upper portion of your chest, you are actually increasing the toxins in your body.

You are increasing your stress just by taking a shallow breath.

When you learn how to breathe with the support of your diaphragm, you will notice that you are more relaxed and that the tension in your neck and shoulders will disappear because you are eliminating those nasty toxins in your body.

You are decreasing your stress just by taking a supported breath!

Yoga is a marvelous means of decreasing stress but I question why one would spend 20 or 30 minutes a day practicing yoga, when, if you make diaphragmatic breathing a habit, you can then spend your entire day more relaxed.  You may find that you sleep better, fall asleep faster, can lower your blood pressure, control nervousness in any form of public speaking, and gain more from sports or fitness programs just by breathing properly.

Some years ago I had a double biopsy in my left breast in which the breast was squeezed (just like a mammogram) for 25 minutes while awake.  The breast was not anesthetized except for a tiny area where tissue was removed with a harpoon-type instrument.  When it was time for the surgeon to re-squeeze, re-anesthetize, and re-shoot for the second biopsy, I had fallen asleep.  Was this a pleasant experience?  No, but because I concentrated on my breathing, I was able to sleep through the procedure.  I breathe properly 24 hours a day because it is a habit.  I don’t think about:  I just do it.  In the situation of the biopsy, I consciously breathed and that is why I was able to fall asleep.

Imagine ordering your kids to be quiet, to sit down, or to stop fighting with each other without yelling at them.  Because I breathe properly, I am able to increase my volume without shouting.  It is called projection and it is truly the best means for establishing total control over the situation.  In all the years of raising my two boys, I never yelled at them; I projected.  Kids don’t listen when you scream but they definitely take notice when you learn how to project!

In Part III, I will show you how to breathe properly.  In the meantime, if you would like to see Baby John breathe, click on the link below and check out the video clip under Session 2 calledDiaphragmatic Breathing.