How to Quieten Your Mind

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A Gentle Approach To Quieten Your Mind:

• Nasal breathe at all times including at night.

• Gently use the nose unblocking exercise if necessary.

• Watch your thoughts; know what is going through your mind and determine how your thoughts create your mood and how your mood creates your thoughts.

• Feel your inner body during many five-minute pockets throughout the day.

• As you sit in nature or pet an animal such as a dog or cat, feel your inner body.

• Relax your inner body. If your tummy is tense, encourage it to relax through mental commentary.

• Keep your breathing calm at all times; reduce your breathing by relaxing your tummy and chest.

• Avoid excessive talking or other activities that increase breathing.

• Eat food in small quantities.

• Practice the Many Small Breath Holds exercise throughout the day and ensure gentle reduced breathing with light to medium air shortage. For example, practice small breath holds and reduced breathing for blocks of five minutes many times throughout the day (You don’t have to count each breath-hold; instead, do as many as possible). The more severe your symptoms, the greater the number of breath holds and gentle reduced breathing you should undertake.

• Gently walk each day with your mouth closed.

How Students Can Quieten Their Minds:

• Use the nose unblocking exercise if your nose gets blocked.

• Keep your mouth closed at all times, including during sleep.

• Observe the antics of your mind and be aware of repetitive thought activity; try to step outside of your thoughts.

• Feel your inner body for pockets of five minutes many times throughout the day.

• Use Many Small Breath Holds when you feel stressed.

• When you have no symptoms, walk with breath holds on the out-breath for half an hour each day. Try to hold your breath while walking. While exercising, hold your breath for as long as possible without being stressed. At the end of the breath-hold, calm your breathing as soon as possible.

• Be aware of the concept of reduced breathing and ensure that your breathing is quiet 24/7. It is not necessary to formally practise reduced breathing, but incorporate it into every activity you do. Remember that when you reduce your breathing, you are improving blood flow and oxygenation of the brain. You are also stepping out of thought during this time.

People With Busy Lifestyles:

• Reduce your breathing from the moment you wake up in the morning. For example, while lying in bed for a few minutes, reduce your breathing and create a need for air.

• Hold your breath and reduce your breathing. For example, while you are in the shower or washing your hair, hold your breath on the out-breath and build up a good need for air

• Reduce your breathing by relaxing your chest and tummy while you drive to work; ensure that your chest remains still.

• While you walk from your car to work, perform breath holds.

• Go for a 20-minute walk during your lunch break and do many breath holds throughout the walk.

• When you return from work, reduce your breathing in your car, while watching TV or reading a book, etc.

• When faced with confrontation, bring attention immediately to your breath and your inner body. Start with small situations. In time, you will be calmer regardless of what is taking place around you.

• If you need to challenge somebody, wait until your anger has passed and approach the individual while keeping most of your attention on your inner body.

• Watch out for repetitive thought processes, especially the recurrent thoughts that take so much of your time.

Ideally, spend a cumulative 60 minutes per day divided among reducing your breathing, exercising with your mouth closed and feeling your inner body.

Pay enough attention to your breathing to increase your CP by an extra 4 seconds each week. If your CP is not increasing from week to week, then pay more attention to your breathing or do the exercises formally by allocating sufficient time to them each day.