Still having trouble calming your anger and frustrations? Just breathe!

I like the writings of Thích Nhất Hạnh as they are relevant, relatable and easily understood. In his book, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, Thích Nhất Hạnh introduces the practice of meditation, with a focus on breathing. While learning to meditate may seem daunting, all of us breathe. Therefore, all of us can benefit from simply considering our breaths. How many times have you seen a decorative wall hanging that states, “just breathe”? The age old remedy for hyperventilation is to breathe into a paper bag. Young children are told to pretend to blow out birthday candles to calm down, and adults to take a few deep breaths. Although most of us are aware of the importance of breathing, not just for physical survival, but for emotional survival as well, we often lose sight of the power of simply breathing in a focused and controlled fashion. In fact, breathing is an important component in many aspects of integrative medicine, which we will be focusing on for the next several musings.

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