One of the best ways to get the most out of your acupuncture treatment is to allow your mind to switch off while you are on the couch so that your body can start to heal itself unhampered by the thinking mind.

A time-honoured method for this is to give your mind something to focus on to stop you thinking random thoughts, and if you focus on your breathing you will naturally start to shift out of the mind and into the body.

Physiologically, it is impossible to be in a state of stress when you are breathing deeply. So by allowing your breathing to become a little bit slower and a little bit deeper, you will start to change your body’s state to one of relaxation and calm. As you breathe deep down into the belly and stay focused on your breath,  gradually you will slip into a state somewhere between waking and sleep where your body can truly relax.

We always recommend that in between treatments, you should try to find 5 minutes each day to do some deep breathing like this. Regularity is more important that quantity - 5 minutes daily is preferable to 60 minutes once a week. Also, the more that you practice deep breathing, the easier it is to get to a relaxed state the next time you try. So the next time you come in for treatment you will be able to go even deeper into relaxation.

Why not give it a try? It’s an amazingly simple yet powerful technique to promote calm and relaxation in your life.

Tags: breathing