[lynn P.]

When I was younger I was very shy and also had some anxiety - I used to get panic attacks in grade school. As I got older I learned to manage it and I still consider it a work in progress - you just can't completely take it away lol.

I noticed when I'm stressed I hold a great deal of tension from the shoulders up and in my jaw. I suffered with TMJ for yrs and am going through a flare up now. Often I'll catch myself where I'm barely breathing - meaning it's so shallow, it's like I'm not getting the proper oxygen my body needs. It even has become a habit, where even if I'm in relaxed surroundings, I'm still tight in my upper body.

I became interested in how most people don't breath right or know how to breath. Most of us use only the upper chest and take air only in the upper lung area -we're not using our full lung capacity therefore not reaching our optimum health. Focus on using the stomach muscles to breath rather than lifting the upper chest only.

Before you even begin to try these breathing exercises - try to notice how you're holding your body. Notice all the tension in your shoulders, neck, the way you're holding your head and jaw. Imagine melting and lowering your shoulders down and back slightly. Separate your jaw slightly.

Many of us are functioning daily with old stale air in the bottom lower lungs and only filling the upper lungs. I think this thread will accent Sanity Seekers meditation thread. Good luck with healthy breathing and paying attention to the tension in your body. Here's are some links to get you started:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/well...-breathing.htm

[sundog]

Thanks for this ((((((Lynn)))))) I have found meditation to be the best way for me personally to get in touch with the way I breathe and to work on unhealthy breathing patterns. It does take some practice, and I found it incredibly difficult at first (still do sometimes), but it's very powerful when you're able to connect with your breath and get into a calming rhythm of "belly breathing" (best practiced at first when you're not in a super-anxious state!)

[Seshat]

Thanks for the info! I had so much trouble with breathing patterns until I took this meditation class about a year ago.

[sabby]

Breathing properly is so very important for so many different reasons.

I used to be a singer many many moons ago and they teach you the proper way to breathe, from the diaphragm. They also teach you the proper way to hold yourself when singing for the best sound. Standing up straight, sitting with a straight back (no slouching) all of that is a great help! The right breathing helped a lot when I played sports as well.

Even though I've breathed in the proper way for most of my life, I do know that when stress or anxiety hit, I tend to hold my breathe and hunch over, almost like it's a protective stance in some way. So, reminders to myself to watch my breathing and my posture are so very important in times of stress and anxiety. Not always easy to do either

Thanks for the lesson and reminder of proper breathing lynn!

[Phoenics]

Good info.