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Selling With Confidence 61
The trouble is that you can’t check on your breathing while you sleep, so in order to experience this type of breathing, try these exercises.
Exercise 1
Lie on your back. Fold your arms across your diaphragm and close your eyes. Notice that by the third or fourth breath, your breathing rhythm is normal and correct. Your diaphragm is mov- ing away from your spine on in- halation and back toward the spine as you exhale.
It’s harder to accomplish this rhythm when you’re standing, so now try standing up. Place your fingers on the diaphragm. Take a gentle but forceful breath. Don’t think about “deep breath- ing.” Think about pushing out on your fingers as you inhale. Now, exhale and let your fingers return to your body. Inhale again. Push your fingers away. Return to the original inward position as you exhale. Repeat it several times.
Repetition makes perfect.
Close your eyes and repeat it sev-
eral more times. Notice that
when you’re doing it right,
there’s a surge of relaxed, com-
fortable well-being flowing through your body. Your metabolism is normalizing, moving toward peace. This is the state hypnotherapists try to induce leading up to the hypnotic state. It’s the breathing method taught by yoga and meditation classes. It’s taught for natural childbirth methods to help reduce the pain that’s stress-related. And when in doubt, watch a sleeping baby breathe.
Notice the difference in the muscles of the head and neck. Chest breath- ing tightens and stresses.
Diaphragmatic breathing relaxes and normalizes.