by Kate

Tadpoles. When do we take our first breath? At birth. [NOTE: "we" here = human, non-mermaid princesses] Obviously that breath of air is a surprising first. But long before that precious day we are inhaling-exhaling fluid to our very heartbeat. Drawing it as deep as we can into tiny lungs like little fish, small ocean dwellers who realize nothing at all about the size of their universe. All is well.

Receiving no further instructions, we are thrust out of our perfect pond. Quite against our will we are forced to take our first breath of air.

Better Physical Health. Deep and controlled breathing is one of the cornerstones of meditation. The physical benefits of meditating are enormous. There is quite a lot of scientific evidence (and it is growing) to solidly support these claims.

- lower blood pressure
- decreased muscle tension
- relief from migraines
- stronger immune system
- chronic pain management
- speeds healing and recovery
- stress markers decrease (slower heart rate, decreased perspiration)

The facts are in, and they’re the same for everybody: no matter how smart you are, your education should never get in the way of learning something that could help you.

Not just for Yogis. Here’s a cool thing about meditation; you don’t need to be on a spiritual quest to benefit from it. Some people steer away from checking meditation out because they aren’t Buddhists, and aren’t interested in becoming one.

But here’s the thing: plenty of people use meditation or the yoga arts to seek a higher level of consciousness or spiritual transcendence, sure. However, if you aren’t interested in that gig, its okay. The Buddha himself said that he didn’t expect anyone to do as he suggested. Check it out for yourself, was his message.

How To? One of the simplest places to begin is a technique that anyone can pick right away. You’ll want to close your eyes, so it’s not for the commute or when you’re operating heavy equipment. This can be a good break from the computer or when you’re working on schoolwork.

· Think of your favorite, most soothing color. Now pick another color that you think is a negative or unpleasant one.

· Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. (Of what? Everything!)

· Cleansing Breath. Take one big breath in, all the way in. Exhale slowly and thoroughly.

· On the inhale try to see your breath painted that happy color entering your body, through your nostrils, down your esophagus, into the branches of your lungs.

· On the exhale, see your negative color leaving your lungs, exiting with all the negativity you have inside. (Negative thoughts, stress, anger, frustration, or physical pain.)

· With each successive breath try to take the colors deeper and farther. Keep after it, it gets easier as you relax.

Does that sound a little fey for your taste? Give it a try: 5 minutes if that’s all the time you’ve got, or shoot for 15 minutes. Open your eyes and get back to work!

You can spend years practicing meditative breathing, yoga or the art of transcendental meditation. But you don’t need to master it in order to do something good for yourself that will bring immediate results. Come on, try it!