Guided Imagery Exercise 7:

Breathing Made Easy

BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT — PHOTO BY FABIAN

Illustration for Guided Imagery Class 7

It is easy to take a deep breath of fresh, crisp mountain air when you stop to rest during a fall hike. As you look at this photo, you might even be able to imagine your lungs filling with life-giving oxygen. But what happens when you're indoors and at sea level?

Read this script to discover how you can fill your lungs with healthy air no matter where you are (except, of course, if you happen to be living where there are a lot of pollutants, such as first- or secondhand smoke, in which case your situation calls for more action than taking a deep breath).

Incidentally, this exercise doesn't require you to close your eyes and will work equally well with them closed or open.

Note: If you haven't taken Class Seven, I recommend you first read that or Using Imagery Scripts.

Good abdominal breathing is easy if you take a one-two-three-step approach. The first several times you practice Breathing Made Easy, I suggest you place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your abdomen. As you learn to breathe correctly, you will be able to reinforce the effectiveness of the technique by noticing how much your right hand moves.

And now, to practice the first step, imagine that you have a balloon inside your abdomen. Each time you breathe in, all you have to do is to imagine the balloon fills with air. Each time you breathe out, imagine the balloon collapses. Using your right hand, you can even push your abdomen to squeeze as much air out of the balloon as you possibly can. Before going to the next step, simply breathe in and out several times, allowing the balloon to expand and contract. . . .

The second step is to breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Here's how you can do it. When you close your mouth to inhale, place your tongue against the roof of your mouth, relaxing your throat much as you do when you yawn. After you have inhaled as much air as possible, hold your breath for a moment and change the position of your tongue so that it rests behind the lower teeth. Then open your mouth slightly and exhale gently, as though you were slowly blowing on a candle. Repeat this several times. . . .

The third step acts as a "trigger" to remind you to use your breath as an indication that you are willing to relax. This is identical to the "signal" breath mentioned in an earlier class. Here the only thing added to steps one and two is the intention to relax when you exhale. And so, to use your balloon-breaths as a trigger for quieting your mind, take two or three deep breaths and, as you do, focus your attention on relaxing your muscles. . . .

And now, with your right hand on your abdomen, return to your normal breathing pattern, noticing perhaps that you have already started to breath abdominally -- and easier.

© Copyright 1997, Revised 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT