By Emy Louie. Edited by MM.
Yesterday, my friend and I were on the phone practicing breathing for five minutes. I said, “Inhale and exhale 10 times.” Then I told her, “I can hear your inhalation and exhalation–you are hyperventilating. You could be hyperventilating all your life [That’s why you are frantic so much]…Slow down your breathing. Inhale 1 – 2 – 3 – 4. Exhale 1 – 2 – 3 – 4. Watch your breath until you can watch yourself thinking thoughts…How do you feel?”
She said, “Great! Are you a Buddhist?”
I said, “This is just breathing – the basics of living. You don’t have to practice Buddhism to breath. It’s just that historically – a lot of Asians – numbers wise – have mastered breathing and non-Asians have yet to embrace mindful breathing.
Practice breathing.
Mindfulness and Healthy Living 