Watch somebody when they are sleeping (don’t be creepy). You’ll notice that they are breathing from their stomach area, not their chest area. This is the natural way to breathe. Babies and animals do it naturally.

Our bodies are in a very restorative state when we are sleeping. . .it is not a coincidence that our breathing is at its most natural when we are sleeping and restoring ourselves emotionally and physically. If you can learn proper breathing while you are awake (diaphragmatic breathing), you’ll find that there are all sorts of benefits ranging from being more relaxed, to improved health.

There are many places you can go to learn this breathing practice: yoga classes, most martial arts schools (like Austin Martial Arts Academy), meditation centers, personal trainers, singing lessons, etc. I suggest meditation because it combines a beautiful calming presence with breath (which actually drives the calm state).

So, breathe during the day the way you do when sleeping—smooth, rhythmic, and deep in your belly (I’m not saying ‘deep’ like when you take a deep breath and take in lots of air—rather I’m talking about breathing from your abdominal area). Diaphragmatic breathing causes your diaphragm to drop, which opens up the lower lobes of your lungs and allows for more oxygen intake. . . the smooth rhythmic motion of the diaphragm causes a signal to be sent to your brain that triggers the relaxation response, taking your brain waves from stressful theta waves, to soothing alpha waves.

Just be careful not to fall asleep when you don’t want to!