yoga tip

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Healing Yoga: Slowing Your Breath

Some yogis believe that life is measured not in years, but in breaths. This phenomenal idea means that if we somehow learn to slow our breathing down, we might extend our lives for months — or even years! But even if you don't subscribe to this model of thinking, you can probably understand how breathing more slowly can be good for your health. We've all perhaps been told that lowering your resting heart rate is healthy because it indicates that your body — especially your heart — can do less work with the same results. Slowing your breathing is one way to help lower your resting heart rate (and vice versa). Breathing more slowly invokes the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn tells your body it's time to save energy by decreasing your blood pressure and slowing your heart. Sometimes it's the simplest things that have the most profound effects on our health. So this week, practice some slow, deep breathing — it's good for you!