Author: kvanness01

Hi, I'm Karen Van Ness, founder of Resilient Edge Wellness, Best Breathing Exercises, and Mind-Body Resilience. If you're looking beyond conventional wellness, fitness or health coaching programs and wish to tap into the vibrant health and energy already within you - to overcome chronic pain or a frustrating health condition, increase your fitness and energy, overcome trauma or vicarious trauma, or better manage stress – then this is the place for you. My goal is to help my readers, clients and students become more resilient, healthier, and happier.

A Quick, Easy Exercise to Help You Get “Unstuck”

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Here’s a quote from a renowned Japanese expert on Ki, or internal energy:

“If I had to offer advice, in one short statement, about what constitutes a correct self-image, distilled from the experiences of numerous business tycoons and other successful people as well as from my own historical research, then it would be this: Never think pessimistically about anything; always try to think positively.” – Kouzo Kaku

Kaku-san goes on to describe what he means by “think positively”:

1) Never complain or think or speak badly of another;

2) Cultivate a feeling of thankfulness and gratitude towards all things;

3) Once you have decided to do something, never think in terms of “I cannot do it” or “It is impossible”;

4) Do not refute another’s opinion, but be willing to listen to it;

5) Do not become angry when things do not go as planned and never hold a grduge against those around you.

(From Kouzo Kaku, “The Mysterious Power of Ki”)

Wow! Lots to think about there.

I just discussed point number #5 with my brother Jeff, who called me from Washington-Reagan National Airport this morning. Seems his flight has been delayed, then delayed again, and again, and yet again.

Not a pleasant situation. However, given the weather we’ve seen in the Midwest and Northeast this past week, it probably shouldn’t be too surprising that there are delays today.

And he knows it. He called because he was bored – but also to vent about the delays, the inconvenience, the fact his first email warning about the delays arrived on his Crackberry the very minute he stepped into the airport, and on and on.

I commiserated with him, because I have been in that same situation more times than I care to remember.

But I also reminded him about point #5 above: “Do not become angry when things do not go as planned…”

If you don’t attend to how your mind is working, you can become easily irritated — about the weather, about the driving skills of the person in the car ahead of you, about someone you listen to on the radio whom you just hate, about your jerky boss, etc. etc etc.

But why allow yourself to be deterred from the bigger picture of your life by these types of distractions? Why waste the psychic energy on them?

I shared with my brother a simple, easy exercise that can help you to quickly relax and let go of negative emotions and thoughts. Would you like to try this one for yourself?

Good! Here goes:

1) Breathe deeply several times from your abdomen. When you notice that your worries have dissipated somewhat, relax all over as much as you can;

2) Exhale fully until your lungs are empty. Lean forward as you exhale. For extra assistance, place both hands on your abdomen, just below your bottom ribs, and push in gently but firmly into the center of the area below your ribs;

3) At the same time, imagine you are expelling all of your negative thoughts and emotions as you breathe out;

4) When you have completed your exhale, sit up slowly and naturally into an upright position and breathe in;

5) As you breathe in, imagine very sharp, crisp, positive energy is entering your body.

In energy disciplines and traditions, it is said that the solar plexus is the primary place in the body where bad energy, or ki (chi), can get stuck. You may notice that, when you are angry or frustrated — or simply feeling stuck in an important area of you life (or in an airport) — you feel hardness in your solar plexus area. This is because “bad” ki or energy has stagnated there.

You only have to do this exercise three or four times to feel the tremendous difference in energy. Remember: the visualization, or using your imagination, is just as important as the physical movements.

Try it and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, my bro just texted me that he was able to get on another flight and is on his way to his destination.

He also thanked me for the advice. So I guess that means he actually did this exercise in the middle of the airport.

If he can do it, you can do it too!

You Can Do It!

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“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!” http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. You can control your mental and emotional state, no matter how irritating your external world gets. One of the best ways to enjoy a  relaxed yet energized state, coupled with calm and relaxed mental alertness, is to follow the exercises in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1: Invigorate and Rejuvenate. Visit the Best Breathing Exercises website to get your copy today, and discover how easy it is to relax your way through all the holiday and end-of-year rush.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

How to Make HIT Training Work For You

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How would you like to spend less time exercising…do less exercising when you are working out…and still get great results? How would you like an approach to fitness, getting in shape, losing fat that can actually fit into your schedule, no matter how hectic your schedule is?

In my last tip, I discussed the comeback of HIT training. Actually, it’s more like an ongoing cycle. HIT training seems to periodically cycle up and down in terms of attention, number of adherents, etc.

In today’s society, everyone from parents to executives to business owners to students are busy. So the prospect of trading long, boring cardio sessions of 45 minutes to an hour, three to four times per week…(the traditional area people focus on) for two or three short, 20 minute workouts per week…is a no-brainer for many people!

The trick to keeping your workouts short, yet still achieving good results, is to (1) exercise with sufficiently high intensity, to the point where you are really huffing and puffing; and (2) focus most of your efforts on certain types of exercises.

To point #1: Obviously this means pushing yourself. However, to work at a sufficiently high level of intensity necessitates using an interval, or pulsing, approach.

Interval Training involves working hard for a short period of time, followed by either a complete rest or a slower pace of the target activity. For example, you run at a good clip for five minutes (the work interval), then run more slowly or walk for five minutes (the rest interval). That’s one set.

Or, you perform repetitions of a compound movement, such as a squat or pushup or bench press, and push yourself to momentary muscular failure (that is, you can’t do another repetition without cheating, breaking down in form, or your movement becomes super slow). Then you rest. That’s one set.

Put together a sufficient number of sets of high intensity effort, and you’ve got yourself a super workout! And the good news is, you only need about 20 minutes to complete such as workout. In fact, if you are really pushing yourself, you probably won’t want to do more than 20 minutes!

I think people shy away from high intensity training because they associate it with highly intense levels of effort and think it is too tough for them to do. But the truth is, just about anyone can successfully adapt this type of training, no matter their present level of fitness.

The key is to set the intensity and duration of your work interval at a level sufficient to push yourself — but not push yourself over the edge.

Just about every activity I can think of lends itself to interval training. It just takes a little creativity.

For example, strength training is naturally interval in nature. You perform sets of repetitions of exercises, interspersed with rest periods.

Walking and running are also naturals for intervals. Simply walk or run faster for a period of time, interspersed with periods of walking or running more slowly.

Certain breathing exercises are interval in nature. Typically, each exercise is done for a certain number of repetitions.  You pause briefly (rest interval) and move on to the next one. Also, breathing floods your system with oxygen, creating immediate surges in energy levels and metabolism.

Now, to point #2: Notice that the type of exercising – walking, sprinting, resistance training – as well as the types of exercises – squats, pushups, bench press – I discuss are either full body movement OR compound exercises.

Compound exercises involve multiple body parts. They tend to be the most effective exercises because they involve the large muscle groups, such as quads, gluts, chest and back. These muscles require more energy and focus to work hard. Focusing on them means you can train your entire body with fewer movements.

In addition, compound exercises make much more significant demands on your entire system, especially if you push yourself…meaning more calories burned not only during exercise, but post-exercise.

In fact, a short but high intensity exercise session, focused on as few as five exercises, can actually elevate your metabolism for 24 to 48 hours AFTER the exercise session.

Imagine what this could mean to your efforts to get into better shape, burn off some fat, or get stronger?

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!” http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. In the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” Program, you have a complete, fat burning and muscle toning program at your fingertips. When you perform the core set of exercises in the program, you combine the power of deep breathing, intensity and focus with compound movements activating the large muscles of your body. This combination is a powerhouse when it comes to activating the fat-burning potential of your body.

For more information, or to download your own copy of the program, go to http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/metabolism.html.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

Latest Fitness Fad Is Actually Old Hat – or HIT

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This past Friday, after several weeks of non-stop travel, I played hookey in the afternoon with my better half.

What better way to spend a little free time than with my partner and love of my life?

We decided to run a couple errands down in Austin and, in our travels, found a new hamburger place called HopDaddies. Not sure if this is a local Austin place, but I imagine it is since Austin has all kinds of unique, interesting, and cool restaurants and shops.

The deal with HopDaddies is you order one of their awesome Kobe or Angus beef hamburgers – which are huge – along with your choice of an ice cold craft brew. And they bring the brew to you in a large, chilled goblet that reminds you of something you would see in a medieval castle.

Beers and burgers…aahh, heaven.

I couldn’t help but notice a new fitness place in the same shopping plaza, called HIT Training. This was fitting, I thought, because if you do enough HIT training, you can actually eat (and drink) at a place like HopDaddies without gaining weight.

What is HIT training? HIT stands for High Intensity Training, and it’s actually become a bit of a fad in the physical fitness world. I’m seeing it everywhere.

However, it is not new. In fact, HIT training has been around for years and years. I guess it keeps coming back because the fitness world needs something new every so often to attract exercisers. HIT training fits today’s bill because it is an efficient way to exercise that also generates great results…if you know what you are doing.

I was first exposed to the concept of HIT back in the 1980s when I was in college. One of our sports trainers was a convert and advocate for the Nautilus training systems created by Arthur Jones. Jones is a legend and I can’t do him justice here in this little newsletter. Suffice to say that he was ahead of his time, as well as unconventional.

ALong with the Nautilus line of exercise equipment he invented, he also advocated LESS exercise, as in: fewer exercise sessions in a week; less time per exercise session; and fewer exercises per session. Jones – and all of the HIT advocates who followed over the years – maintained that training LESS was actually better for achieving the kind of results most of us wish for, in terms of gaining strength, building muscle and burning off fat.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Spend less time exercising, do less exercising when you are working out, and still get great results. Perfect for us time-starved corporate warriors and/or busy parents.

No wonder HIT training is cycling back up these days! No one has enough time to exercise anymore, or so they say. And the thought of trading long, boring cardio sessions of 45 minutes to an hour, three to four times per week…for two or three short, 20 minute workouts per week…is a no-brainer for many people!

But here’s the catch. (Ah, there’s always a catch, isn’t there?)

In order to get the results typically promised by following a HIT regimen, you actually have to follow it. Which means you have to actually train with HIGH INTENSITY.

By high intensity, we’re talking about doing an exercise to momentary muscular failure. Not to when it starts to hurt, not when your movement begins to slow…actually beyond that to where you simply cannot move your arm or leg another inch. We’re talking about doing sets of squats or leg presses to the point of puking. (Well, you don’t have to go that far, but they certainly did in the good ol’ days of HIT. Supposedly Arthur even made Ahnold puke during one session.)

MOst people, especially those just starting out on an exercise program, don’t really know what high intensity exercise means in terms of the level of exertion and discomfort which accompanies it. And many people will not push themselves, or be pushed by a coach or trainer, to the highest levels of intensity.

Does this mean that HIT training is not for you, or is not really as effective as its advocates say?

Well, I can’t answer for you specifically….but here’s what I have found out over the years.

Turns out that there are variations on HIT that have been around for over 100 years.

Long before Arthur Jones came along, strength trainers at the turn of the last century also followed some basic HIT principles. They typically followed a regimen of shorter, no more than 45 minute workout sessions. They focused on a smaller number of high value exercises – typically those that are full body exercises, such as deadlifts, or that work multiple muscle groups, such as pushups, rows, etc. After a short warmup, they put their all into these few exercises, achieving a total body workout in a relatively short amount of time. And then……

They stopped. They completed their workout so that they still had a little “gas in the tank”. Even though they might do a particular exercise to muscular failure, they did not train to failure. They left the gym feeling strong and energetic, not beat down and sick.

So, there are variations on HIT training that can be highly effective and give you great results, without having to tear yourself down or leave the gym puking.

However, it helps to know a few “secrets” to really maximize the results you can achieve. I’ll share some of these with you in your next tip.

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!” http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. Hey, have you heard about the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” Program? Whether you have a lot of weight to lose, or would like to radically improve the results you’re getting from your current fitness or weight loss program, you can put this program to work immediately to help reach your goal.The approach I teach you is a distillation of the most effective thinking and exercises I’ve found for boosting the metabolism and reducing the waistline.

Best part is, this program can be followed by virtually anyone. I tell you exactly what to do to get the results you want. For more information, or to claim your own copy of the program, go to the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” page at the Best Breathing Exercises website.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

Anchor Yourself with Attitude Breathing

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It’s amazing to me the amount of research that is now being done on the connection between body, mind and emotions.

The connection is indisputable. Many medical doctors and scientists have embraced it and try to leverage it in their treatment of patients.

Tuning in to this connection can help you enhance your health, overcome specific illness — and help you improve the way you go through life.

In particular, a lot of research has been done in the area of managing stress. Herbert Benson, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, popularized this area with his book, “The Relaxation Response”. He and his team proved the effects that relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, meditation and a positive outlook, can have on patient outcomes and health.

Subsequently, Dr. Benson performed follow-up research that lead to his book, “The Breakout Principle”. Here, he demonstrated how the same principles and techniques can help each of us relax and think more clearly as we handle the stresses and challenges of each day. This, in turn, can help us perform at a higher level and get into the “flow” of whatever activity we are doing.

You recognize the flow when it happens — although you are not aware you are in it until afterwards.

Have you ever spent hours immersed in some activity, only to look up at the clock and be surprised at how much time has passed? You were experiencing the flow.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get into the flow. If you have a gazillion things going on, or are pressed for time, you may feel blocked. You may be unable to relax sufficiently. Or you may be draining your own energy by allowing negative thoughts or emotions to take roost in your brain.

These feelings can be especially cumbersome when you are at work, perhaps facing a stressful meeting, discussion or situation. Or, maybe you are having trouble getting your kids to comply with a request.

No matter what the situation, to “unblock” yourself and handle the stress of the moment, I recommend you try a technique called “Attitude Breathing”.

This specific technique was developed by the Institute of Heart Math, which studies body-mind-emotional connections.

It’s easy to do.

(1) Focus on a person or situation for which you are really grateful. Cultivate a feeling of gratitude as you slowly relax and soften your breathing.

(2) Next, shift your attention to your heart and solar plexus area. Acknowledge what you are feeling. Ask yourself which feeling or attitude you could substitute that would be more constructive in the current situation.

For example, you might tell yourself to “stay calm”, “stay neutral”, “get all the facts before I go off”, etc.

(3) Pretend to feel and breathe this new, more constructive attitude in through your heart. Breathe it out through your solar plexus and stomach to “anchor” it. Continue to breathe in this way until you feel like the new attitude has settled in to your solar plexus and heart.

This simple but powerful technique helps you anchor your inner power and calm, and bring your thoughts and emotions back into balance.

It’s great to do first thing in the morning, or any time you are feeling stressed, anxious, or overly emotional.

Lately, I’ve had to do quite a bit of traveling. Ah yes, the joys of airline travel, missed connections, late night arrivals when you have to be in important meetings the next day, adjusting to different time zones, etc., etc.

Don’t get me wrong – I love to travel. It’s just when the trips come one after the other, it can be a bit much. And, even though I sometimes bring my family with me, I can’t do this every time and I do miss them when I am away.

All this can add to stress levels. So I make sure that I devote at least a few minutes every morning when I first wake up, and a few minutes in the evening, to do this exact exercise. I focus on what I am grateful for – usually my family, my health, all the opportunities in my life. I breathe in the feelings of joy, gratitude and peace I get when I think about these things, and “anchor” them in my heart.

I find this simple exercise really helps ground me and remind me of what is important in my life, and the ultimate reasons why I am working and traveling.

This is why I wanted to share this wonderful little practice with you.

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!” www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. If you have an interest in discovering even more highly effective breathing and visualization techniques, consider the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1: Invigorate & Rejuvenate. In the course, I guide you through breathing exercises which help you instantly relax and tranform stress…and have you feeling in control within minutes. Claim your program CDs today at the Best Breathing Exercises website.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

Relaxation and Power: Make It Work For You

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In any athletic endeavour, you must first learn how to relax before you can develop optimal power.

When you try to move faster, or hit harder, by excessive effort, you actually sabotage your efforts and move more slowly. You also move less efficiently, so you tire more quickly.

The same holds for academic or work-related activities.

When you try too hard to concentrate or focus, you may find your mind actually wanders more than usual. And you find the task at hand more difficult to do, meaning you tire of it more quickly.

On the other hand, when you first relax, and tell yourself that your project or task will be fun – or that at least it will be satisfying to complete and get over with – you find yourself becoming immersed in the project. You effortlessly concentrate. You lose track of time. And, before you know it, you have finished it.

Time to kick back and have a cold one!

Well, guess what. This natural paradigm of effective performance applies to the most elemental activity you perform every second of every day: your breathing.

And putting this principle to work, along with some focused attention on your breathing, can help you harness the most fundamental source of power in your body.

When you first begin to work on your breathing, you should focus on learning how to breathe more completely. Ironically, you don’t breathe more fully and completely by trying harder. You actually breathe better when you are relaxed.

You open up your breathing by loosening the structures that support healthy breathing, and learning how to relax through deep breathing. This is the heart of the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume I: Invigorate and Rejuvenate.

Just a few minutes of these types of exercises will have you relaxed yet focused, calm yet full of quiet energy. They’re great to do at the end of the day, or any time you need a little de-stressing or a pick-me-up.

Once you have learned the elements of complete breathing, and how to breathe in a relaxed manner, your next step is to increase your lung capacity and power, as well as strengthen your torso area – the area of the body that supports breathing, posture and a healthy spine.

By combining breathing techniques with certain types of movement, you are able to enhance internal energy and lung power, while at the same time strengthening your core muscles.

You also have to focus while doing these types of exercises. So they are wonderful at helping improve your concentration and ability to focus and get things done throughout the day.

These are the exercises that make up the Dynamic Energy Routine, which is in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 2.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check these programs out. I’m positive you can benefit from these wonderful exercises.

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”

http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

How To Improve Faster and Easier – In Every Area of Your Life

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As I continue my rehab and recovery from knee surgery, I literally make progress every day.

While injuries can slow us down, they are also badges of honor, the inconvenient fruits of a life lived with gusto.

Problem is, these old (and newly) injured areas – and our bodies in general – can make themselves felt more frequently, the older you get. In fact, I can feel a few places whenever the weather changes.

However, you can’t let these aches and pains hold you back. Nope, the key is to keep moving and keep improving.

I’m feeling more enthusiastic than ever these days because I have been able to increase the intensity of my training and do more each week. But I’m also trying to be smart about how I approach my rehab and training. And one key thing has really helped me to recover more quickly than most people would expect: I place so much emphasis in my own health regimen on breathing and dynamic energy exercises.

This type of approach can help you too. It provides you with a springboard, a boost, for getting back into shape – like I’m doing now – or ramping up the intensity of your current fitness program.

I’m pretty young – in body, mind and heart – for my so-called “age”. But I know (from painful experience) that I operate and progress best when I alternate “hard” with “soft” days.

For example, today I did a pretty hardcore workout. High intensity, good tempo, lots of focus. I kicked butt. It felt great!

But I know I will feel this workout a little by tomorow morning. As I get older, I’ve noticed that I can still do just about everything I did before…but the recovery takes longer.

So, tomorrow I will do a “softer” workout. That can mean many things, but for right now in my progression, it means I focus more on flexibility, stretching and breathing.

In fact, I’ll be doing the exact series of mobility and flexibility exercises I teach in “Dynamic Flexibility: The Secret To Healthy, Pain-Free Joints, Limber Muscles and Maximum Mobility”.

The important part about training in a way that helps you recuperate and helps your body improve even more quickly and effortlessly, is knowing how to stretch and rejuvenate the muscles and connective tissues.

For example, using my Dynamic Flexibility method only takes about 15 to 18 minutes to fully, completely stretch your entire body, including all the major joints and muscles. I sometimes take longer, though, because I enjoy the routine so much. It’s a wonderful break from work.

There is a natural cycle of work or struggle followed by rest and reward. You see it throughout nature. For example, the love of my life is the gardener of the family, with some help from our son. The two of them till, plant, fertilize, water and weed for weeks or months. The reward is a beautiful array of flowers and shrubs around our house and back porch, as well as delicious fresh vegetables the entire family can enjoy. They reap….we all sow.

You can see this cycle throughout history, going back to biblical times. The Hebrews wandered for 40 years in the desert before they were allowed into the “promised land”. God worked for 6 days and rested on the 7th.

You may see this in your daily life as well. For example, you work hard on a project, plugging and pushing away. At times you feel like you are making minimal to no progress.

Then, you relax and let up a bit. You put the project aside for a spell. And you suddenly receive the idea or the inspiration that helps you finish the damn thing…without stress, strain or pushing.

Same thing goes for your body – and mind and spirit, for that matter.

Push yourself and really go for it at certain times. But allow yourself to relax and refresh at other times.

You can successfully apply this cycle to exercise, to eating better, or to taking virtually any type of action that will improve your health or your life. So, as you plan your day or week, build in times to work hard and push yourself. Alternate these with times when you relax and reward yourself.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much more quickly and enjoyably you finish those projects and start hitting your goals.

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”

www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

The Power of Being In the Moment

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There is a concept in traditional martial arts called “beginner’s mind”. The Japanese word for this is “soshin”.

As a beginner, the first time you do something you really have to concentrate and focus in order to do it correctly.

The idea of soshin is to continue to be like a beginner when p erforming various tasks. No matter how trivial a task is, retain the mindfulness of a beginner when performing it.

Have you ever engaged in some kind of creative work, or have you ever become so engrossed in doing something, like playing and laughing with your kids, that you lost all track of time?

This happened because you were living in the moment. You truly felt more alive and energized by doing it.

It’s an incredible feeling, almost a state of flow.

This is one of the things I love about the martial arts…and one of the reasons I highly recommend it for kids and adults.

During hard training, you have to concentrate 100% on the instructor’s commands and on your movements. When sparring or fighting, you have to be totally focused on your opponent and your own strategy and tactics.

During these times, I lose all sense of obligations and responsibilites outside of the training hall.

I stop worrying about what needs to get done, or the latest problem or issue. Although these things await me, for the moment I can just …. be. And enjoy!

Performing conscious breathing, or other types of breathing exercises, can help you create these moments of presence.

When you focus on your breathing and on how your body feels in response to the breathing, you are in the moment.

And at least for this moment, you forget about responsibilities, issues, and demands.

You stop dwelling on health problems or aches and pains. And you help yourself to relax and feel calmer, more centered, and more in control…regardless of what is going on around you.

Breathing exercises and being in the moment are not instant cures for all that ails you. But awareness of your breathing and of the present moment can help you lead a calmer, more relaxed and healthier life. It can imbue everything you do with more power.

I encourage you to put these concepts to work by making them a regular part of your life.

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”

http://www.BestBreathingExercises.comcom

P.S. Discover how you can use your breathing to enter a state of effortless flow and power with the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course Volume 1: Invigorate and Rejuvenate. The movements coupled with complete breathing will invigorate, rejuvenate and relax your body, mind and spirit. Pick up your own program CD’s at the Best Breathing Exercises website.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

How To Be In Control, Naturally

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A few days ago, I discussed the prevalence of stress in our lives. It’s become so chronic that we get used to it as a sort of baseline.

We can even become addicted to stress as a way of being.

Once you become aware of how you act in your world, and react to the stress that is a natural part of it….you can then do something about it.

Probably the simplest (and often overlooked) way to put the kibosh on stress-oriented behavior is to focus on your breathing.

A great way to learn how to breathe naturally and completely is through the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume I: Invigorate & Rejuvenate.

In the course, I teach you the Complete Breath. And I also teach you seven exercises, combining breathing with specific movements, that open, free and relax you.

The most important thing is to simply become conscious of your breathing.

Here’s a great example from my own life that you may share.

Our son, Miguel, who is 7, is a great kid and a good student. But, like many kids, he is sometimes anxious about school and therefore resists getting ready. He’ll use all the stalling tactics, like not getting dressed, refusing to eat breakfast, etc., etc.

When I’m in reactive mode, rather than thinking mode, I respond to his escalations in resistance with escalations of my own. This typically results in yelling and screaming and tears. We make it to school on time, but it’s not a very pleasant way for us to start the morning.

On the other hand, when I catch myself, I resist being reactive to Miguel’s tactics. Instead of rushing about and worrying whether we will be ready or not when it’s time to leave, I take a moment to observe my breathing. Invariably, when I’ve been in reactive mode, my breathing is tight and I feel tense.

Chances are, you’ve experienced a similar reaction when in a situation of stress, like trying to get the kids ready and off to school. Your breathing is “tight” and very shallow. You probably have tension in your jaw and forehead areas, as well as in your shoulders and back.

This is a typical physical response to stressful conditions. I’m not sure why it developed in us this way, because it certainly doesn’t seem to help us cope better with the situation.

At any rate, by the simple act of observing your breathing, you will automatically and naturally release some of that tightness. Take advantage of this. Take in 4 to 5 deep breaths.

Don’t force it. Just allow yourself to slowly and smoothly inhale.

If you find you are forcing the inhale, switch your focus to the exhale.

Blow out all the air – without straining – then relax and see how fully you inhale. “The exhale takes care of the inhale”, if you do it properly.

So, next time you are stressed out, or about to enter into a demanding or stressful situation… take a moment or two to become conscious of your breathing.

Give yourself the gift of a minute or two to just sit (or stand) and breathe smoothly, calmly and deeply.

You’ll find yourself naturally relaxing, yet feeling energized at the same time. The perfect state for performing well and dealing with the challenges life throws at us.

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”

www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

Be Sure To Protect This Focal Source of Energy

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Stress is stealing away your life, even if you don’t realize it.

Stress, fatigue and chronic pain manifest physically as increased tension and tightness in the body, particularly in the large muscles of the torso, such as the chest, shoulders and back.

This is why neck and back pain and headaches are so prevalent today.

Stress can also cause your breathing to weaken and become more shallow. When you take in less oxygen, your system doesn’t work to capacity. You feel physically fatigued and mentally foggy and fuzzy.

These reactions to stress put into motion a cascade of hormonal and neuromuscular changes that can have dire consequences for even the hardiest of us.

Your posture also changes when you’re under stress. You turn in your shoulders and hunch forward. You may notice that you cross your arms more frequently.

These are all signs of the protective impulse…. of your body collapsing in on itself in an effort to protect you physically from more abuse. Problem is, the tightness and tension in your muscles, along with the stressed, hunched posture, create huge imbalances and overloads on your spine.

The spine is the foundation of your body and one of its critical centers of energy.

Sitting, standing and walking compress the spine to varying degrees. The high proportion of time many of us spend sitting is particularly tough on our backs. After years of sitting at desks, in meetings, on the couch, or on airplanes, the spine loses its resiliency.

This in turn affects the entire nervous system, causing decreased energy, backaches, headaches, neck and shoulder tightness….even moodiness, irritability, and the inability to concentrate or focus.

So..how do you counter this postural reaction that places so much additional strain on your lower back?

The secret is to free the tension and tightness from your entire torso area, so that the breathing spaces are wide open and free and the spine is extended and lengthened.

Open breathing spaces mean full, complete breathing. In turn, this enhances your lungs’ capacity to infuse larger amounts of oxygen into your body, and more effectively remove wastes and toxins from your system. Elongating and loosening the spine helps free up vital nerve force and energy and also releases tension.

The combination of the two is a powerhouse!

It leaves you with a loose, relaxed, energized feeling. It not only invigorates you  – it’s a major pathway to physical health and wellbeing.

You may think it difficult to achieve this combination of opening, freeing, and releasing.

You may think you have to pay big bucks to visit a chiropractor or massage therapist every week.

Well, it’s not difficult at all. Nor is it expensive. With just a few minutes of listening, you can learn how with the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1: Invigorate and Rejuvenate.

The course consists of two series of 7 exercises. The first series focuses on dynamic breathing coordinated with easy, flowing movements. The second series helps stretch, relax and rejuvenate your entire torso area, with special emphasis on the spine and back.

These amazing exercises stimulate, strengthen, and rejuvenate you.

They help you instantaneously relax AND improve your energy levels. You’ll feel more in control, rather than at the whim of the latest crisis. After doing the exercises for just a few days, any back or neck pain you have been experiencing will be history.

The Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1: Invigorate and Rejuvenate provides you with a quick, easy, enjoyable way to rejuvenate and protect your foundation.

To learn more about this incredible course, head on over to the Best Breathing Exercises website.

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!”

www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

Three Steps to Breathing – and Living! – On Purpose

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If you want to live bigger and better, with more energy and enthusiasm, vim and vigor, all you need to do is…breathe.

Your breathing practice can be as simple as 10 deep, complete breaths in the morning when you first wake up.

If you integrate conscious, focused breathing with your physical exercise, you are furthering your mastery of your breathing…AND transforming your exercise sessions into something a whole lot more powerful and beneficial.

And, if you invest a little time in learning various types of breathing techniques, you will have a tool and a resource you can use to enhance your health, improve your stamina and power, and increase your mental focus and clarity.

Unfortunately, most people don’t even bother with the first step: doing some deep breathing every day.

An even smaller percentage get to steps 2 and 3.

You may think you don’t have the time to learn such things. Or you may be concerned that, in order to correctly perform breathing exercises, you have to be at a certain level of physical fitness.

Perhaps you’re worried you will have to twist your body into contorted positions or chant or something.

I’m not making this up! These are objections I have actually heard from people.

This is part of what motivated me to make proper breathing instruction and breathing exercises more accessible to people, including those who may not be interested in doing yoga or learning chi kung or tai chi, but would still like the benefits of such practices.

A lot of information on breathing and energy practices make it all seem so esoteric and so mysterious that you need a degree in Chinese medicine, or advanced abilities as a yogi, to fully understand and benefit.

Not so!

The first, very accessible step, is to learn a few basic techniques.

Then apply your breathing skills to every day situations, such as: exercising; sitting in traffic; sitting in a boring meeting; relaxing and calming yourself before bedtime.

Here’s an excellent question from a Dear Reader:

Hey Karen,

I faithfully practice outside every morning. I’m a very recently retired Personal Trainer, but proper breathing is something I’ve ignored over the years, other than when a client was lifting a weight. My question is – When I inhale, how long do I hold the breath? Or is it simply, like yoga, as long as I’m feeling comfortable?

I want to thank you for the updates. They really help.

Al

KVN: Thanks for your question, Al. And great to hear that you do your exercises outside every morning. It’s a great way to start the day, isn’t it?

Now, in answer to your question: it depends.

It depends on your purpose for the breathing exercises you are doing.

At a very basic level, breathing techniques can be grouped into ones that help open up and relax your breathing spaces, and help you get grounded and centered.

Other techniques help to balance your breathing. Still others are used to increase breath control, lung power, and the generation of power, such as techniques used to increase power and speed in the martial arts.

You can find a rational, effective progression of these types of breathing exercises and techniques in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volumes 1 and 2. (And you can take advantage of a special price and extra bonus when you order both programs together. For details, please go to the Dynamic Energy Exercise Course page.)

When you hold your breath for longer than 4 to 8 seconds, you are using breath retention techniques.

Hindu and Taoist masters developed breath locks, or “bandas” to help improve their ability to retain their breath for longer and longer periods of time.

This was done, in part, as a meditative aid.

Breath retention techniques are also used to help develop breath control and internal power. These types of techniques are practiced in traditional martial arts to develop maximum power and focus in the practitioners’ strikes and kicks, as well as make the practitioner more resistant – or even impervious – to blows from their opponent.

For your own breath practice, you should perform most breathing techniques as Al described: be comfortable in your breathing.

This means getting into and maintaining a rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, and letting the pauses between the inhale and exhale occur naturally.

The main thing is to balance your inhalation and exhalation.

For example, an excellent rhythm that works well for most people is 4:2:4:2. In other words, inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 4, hold for 2.

You can do multiples of these to extend your breathing. So, you could inhale for 8, hold for 4, exhale for 8, hold for 4. You get the picture.

If your goal is to develop better breath control, you can add breath retention exercises into the mix. Generally speaking, you should do some balanced breathing first, as a warm up.

Then move into breath holding, performing 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise.

Here, you should push yourself a little bit. Not to the point that you are gasping for air when you finally breathe. But gradually, over time, extend your hold on the inhale or exhale.

For an excellent workout, add dynamic tension to your breath holding, as well as exhalations against resistance. You will work up a sweat in no time!

You Can Do It!

 

 

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with Dynamic Energy Exercise!” http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012