The truth of the matter is that we already perform breathing exercises, visualizations, and affirmations. It's just that most of us are dysfunctional in our individual performances.

Instead of living in the calm of the present moment, we live in the anxieties of the future and the past, and our breathing responds accordingly. Our visualizations are affected by TV violence, magazines, video games, images of war, and the concrete jungles of urban living. The resulting stream of thoughts (affirmations) that run through our minds give rise to the negative emotions that impact our health and overall quality of life.

A more proactive approach would be to practice healthy breathing exercises, visualizations, and affirmations to replace dysfunctional ones. A brief explanation follows:

BREATHING EXERCISES

Most of us are shallow breathers. As infants, we begin as deep, abdominal breathers, but we change over time for a variety of reasons:

1) Stress and tension tightens the chest and promotes shallow breathing.

2) We're taught at a young age to hold our stomachs in and stick our chests out.

3) Obesity and lack of exercise makes our breathing short and shallow.

Shallow breathing, which uses only the upper third of the lungs, severely limits the amount of oxygen reaching our tissues. Only about 1/10th of a liter of blood flows through the upper lungs per minute, while 1.5 liters flow through the lower third.

Deep breathing accesses the lower third of the lungs, oxygenates the entire body, improves digestion and decreases heart rate. Also, it balances the autonomic nervous system, decreasing the fight or flight anxiety states in which many of us are caught. This, in turn, lowers inflammation, which has been found to be present in almost all disease (See The Root of Disease on this website).

Not to be underestimated though, is the effect the breath has on the mind. Deep breathing stills the mind and brings us into the present moment, improving concentration skills and our ability to function.

Among other findings, research has found breathing exercises reduce the stress hormone cortisol. They also improve the immune system, reduce cholesterol, and relieve depression.

VISUALIZATION

Each of us lives in our own private world of visualization. Whether we directly experience the world itself, watch a scary movie, or imagine eating a juicy lemon, the body has physiological responses to each of these events. The images in nighttime dreams evoke physiological responses as well.

It is important, therefore, to visualize those things that will affect us positively. Research studies have found positive visualization to improve motor skills such as skiing, tennis, and skating. From a health standpoint, visualization has been found to reduce arthritis symptoms, lower stress, improve cholesterol, reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, shorten surgical recuperative time, lower blood pressure and improve immune function.

AFFIRMATIONS

We not only have physiological responses to what we visualize, but also to what we say and think. These spoken words and thoughts are affirmations, and create our personal reality. They need to be positive to be healthy. Mentally repeating positive statements penetrates the subconscious mind, which then resurfaces in our daily lives to become actual truths.

Research has consistently supported the use of positive self-talk. Probably the most startling research showing the power of words comes from Dr. Masaru Emoto, who tested their power to transform the shape of water crystals. His research team taped words to test tubes of water which were subsequently frozen. Words commonly used were "peace," "worrying," "thank you," "unhappiness," etc. To control for the intentions of the researchers, words were often used from foreign languages. Examples of the resulting crystals are pictured below.

This research indicates that words by themselves have power. When mentally repeated in an affirmation, they have the ability to improve health and transform life. (For further information on the Emoto research, see www.hado.net)

CONCLUSION

Proper breathing exercises, visualizations, and affirmations have each demonstrated healthful benefits. Their regular practice, in combination, is a potent healing force within us waiting to be awakened!!

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