Pathways to Change - NLP & Tai Chi

For all these exercises use abdominal breathing.

• On the in-breath your belly becomes larger. On the out-breath your belly becomes smaller. This ensures your diaphragm moves up and down
• Breathe in and out through your nose
• Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth in the position as if you were about to say the syllable 'le'
• Your sides should lightly expand on the in-breath and contract on the out-breath.
• Your lower back should gently push out on the in-breath and move back in on the out-breath
• There should be little or no movement in the upper chest

Breathing in this way produces a slower rate of breathing which leads to a slowing down and integration of the brain wave rhythms towards what is known as the alpha state. Integration, awareness and learning on both the conscious and unconscious levels is more likely with a predominance of alpha waves present

NB The phrase 'take a deep breath' before doing anything important is partially true. What is missing is the need to release the breath again in a long and total out-breath. This helps reduce the levels of carbon-dioxide gas in the bloodstream. High levels of carbon dioxide are associated with stress and tension.