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Helane Rosenberg and Yakov Epstein
Learning To Breathe
Voluntary breath control is probably the oldest known stress-reduction technique. It is a major component of yoga, the ancient Indian self-help system of health care and spiritual development; T'ai Chi, a Chinese movement art form; and the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. These and other methods share a focus on the four distinct phases of the breathing cycle: inhalation, pause, exhalation, and pause. Becoming aware of these four phases is an essential step in obtaining control of your breathing pattern. Once you gain control of your breathing in a non-stressful environment, you can more readily call up your relaxation breathing during times of stress.
Your thoughts and your internal responses are closely linked. If you think anxious thoughts, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Conversely, shallow, rapid breathing can make it difficult for you to think calmly and rationally. If you are caught in this vicious cycle, you can either change your thoughts or change your breathing -- and the other will follow. You can use controlled breathing to implement an important Pointer: changing how you think about your infertility. Also, by learning to breathe properly, you can begin to feel less fatigued, less overwhelmed by your thoughts, and more able to cope with each new procedure and treatment. As you cope better, you will become more optimistic. While not a panacea, the Getting Pregnant Breathing described below is perhaps the easiest new technique you'll master.
Tape record the directions in the following box. Play them back when you have a few minutes to learn to practice Getting Pregnant Breathing.
Tape record these directions:
Lie on your back on a rug. Get comfortable.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Without trying to change your breathing, notice which hand is rising and falling with each breath. If your belly rises as you breathe in, you are breathing from your diaphragm. If not, you are breathing from your chest.
Shift your breathing from chest to diaphragm. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose into your abdomen to push up your hand as much as it feels comfortable. Smile slightly, inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. Make a relaxed soft sound like the wind as you exhale. It should sound like "whoosh."
Continue taking slow deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale...whoosh. Inhale. Exhale...whoosh. Think of each whoosh as a sigh of relief.
Practice this activity for five minutes at a time once or twice a day.
At the end of each breathing time, focus on your body and its tension. By the end of a week, you should see a noticeable difference in your tension, particularly in your neck and shoulders, and in the muscles around your jaw.
After one week's practice, try this activity while sitting or standing.
After one month of practicing, try this activity during a doctor's visit.
Once you've mastered controlled breathing, you can use it while driving to your doctor's office, sitting in the waiting room, or during a medical test or procedure. You can even use it while waiting to hear the results of a test. Use controlled breathing any time you start to feel tension.
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This page was last modified 06/02/03