What's with Breathing and Destressing???

There is a saying in yoga: When you can control your breath, you can control everything.

We're all born knowing how to breathe. Watch a baby breathe. See how he automatically fills up his entire abdomen and ribs like a little balloon? He doesn't breathe only from the upper chest in short, rapid gasps. As we age, we develop inefficient breathing habits as the result of other habits such as smoking...

Breathing is a healing tool, according to a friend of mine who practice yoga, and it can be relearned with practice. How do we get back to the "breath of babes"?

The ultimate destressing comes with slowing the breath to 1 to 2 breaths per minute, my friend says. He suggests doing three to five of those extremely slow breaths when I really need to relax and I will feel like a new person.

However, on this Wednesday evening, I can't even come close to that new person in me. You must practice the skills at night, my friend says, and then use them during the day. He recommends posting notes throughout the house, near the telephone, on the computer monitor to remind myself to breathe deeply.

Breathing: Easy and Free Destressing... Destressing is not just a bunch of hot air or is it?