I’ve struggled to breathe for most of my life.
And yes, I know: Breathing is supposed to be a natural, unconscious function.
Babies are born knowing how to do it. But most of our adult customs—from swallowing our feelings to sitting at our desks all day—work against the “natural” part and leave our brains and bodies to survive on little more than short gasps of oxygen.
Never fear, though. This exercise, which takes just a few seconds a day, will get you started on the kind of breathing that can:
- Make your voice sound strong and steady,
- Help you stay centered and calm, but alert; and
- Give you authority and persuasiveness.
All you need is this video, and a mirror, to check and see if what you’re doing looks like what I’m doing.