We take breathing for granted, as its something we do without even thinking about it, however there are more and more studies that show that breathing exercises can improve our digestive system, immune system, lungs, brain, and heart, as well as help chronic health conditions.

We all get stressed throughout our lives but research has shown this simple breathing technique can help fight off that panicky feeling you might sometimes get by taking over your body’s stress response. Its called a ‘physiological sigh’ and this is how you do it:

• Take two short breaths through your nose.
• Take one long exhale through your mouth.
• Repeat one to three times.

For the ‘physiological sigh’ to be effective its best to take longer exhales than inhales. Maybe give it a go next time your feeling stressed or a bit panicky about something and need to calm down and see if it works for you.

Recent studies have also shown that this type of breathing has proven to to be more effective than meditation in terms of reducing stress. This is not to say meditation is not beneficial, it is and has tremendous benefits also.