Breathing is the single most important thing our body does.  We may be able to live a few days without food or water but without breathing, we would only last a few minutes!  So, why don’t we pay more attention to the way we are breathing?  As our breathing is part of our autonomic nervous system, we don’t have to make a conscious effort to breathe.  It happens automatically.  This usually means, however, that we don’t think about our breathing until we experience some kind of breathing problem.

Using the breath effectively is an important element in ancient practices like meditation, yoga and qigong.  In our fast-paced society, many people breathe too fast with a resting rate of 15 to 20 breaths per minute.  This shallow type of breathing does not allow enough oxygen into the lungs for your blood, muscles and organs.  Slow, sustained, gentle deep breathing of 10 breaths or less per minute for at least 15 minutes every day can help relieve stress, calm the nervous system, relax the mind, relax the diaphragm, ease muscle tension, improve circulation and digestion.  It can even help to improve your concentration and creativity!

Spring Forest Qigong is a relaxing, meditative practice that uses the breath as well as the mind, simple movements and sound to help improve your health in these areas and more!  This form of qigong, although simple, is powerful and very easy to learn.  The practice can be adapted to your capability as you can do the movements or meditations standing, sitting or even lying down.

Before you know it, you will be choosing to breathe slowly more frequently throughout your day just because it feels so good and brings so many other added benefits!