Take the time to breathe. Here is a simple breathing exercise that you can incorporate throughout your day. Breathing, when combined with the feelings of gratitude, peace, compassion or love, enhances your overall state of being and healing. Studies have shown that this simple exercise alone can improve your mind and body's ability to adapt to stress. "We can live weeks without food, days without water, and only minutes without air."

Breathing is necessary for your survival and for your creativity. Create health and healing by breathing.

Place one hand over your heart and the other over your belly. Make sure that when you inhale, you expand your belly. Make sure that when you exhale, you bring your belly into your spine.

Before beginning your breathing exercise focus on a nurturing feeling (e.g. gratitude, peace, compassion or love):

Inhale the feeling into your heart and down two inches below your belly button for four counts
Hold the inhalation and feeling for four counts
Exhale the feeling from two inches below your navel and out from your heart for four counts
Hold the exhalation and feeling for four counts

Repeat

Practice this exercise for at least a minute. As you get better, you will literally and physically feel sensations of gratitude, peace, compassion or love.

This exercise is a fusion of the Morter Health Rhythmic breathing exercise and Heartmath's research on heart coherence.