Easing your breathing

You depend on your breathing for everything you do. It can be frightening and overwhelming when you can't breathe well.

The primary role of breathing is gas exchange: your cells need oxygen and must eliminate the waste they produce, called carbon dioxide. Breathing is an automatic body function, controlled by the respiratory center of the brain. But it's possible to deliberately change your rate of breathing. And if you can slow your breathing, you may experience some relief from your symptoms.

Different societies have long known the benefits that certain practices can have on your breath. Those practices include yoga, Tai Chi and some forms of meditation. Many holistic practitioners believe that the breath is the link between the physical body and the ethereal mind, and that spiritual insight is possible through conscious breathing. Regardless of the philosophy, scientific studies have shown that correct breathing can help manage stress and stress-related conditions by soothing the autonomic nervous system.