The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

The act of breathing is essential to life and can be done with or without thinking about it. You can control your breath and vary it, but eventually, air must come in and air must go out. 

The breath of life and breathing exercises are an important aspect of many religions. In the book of Genesis, when God created man, he formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Several Eastern religions use controlled breathing in meditation and prayer, helping in the processes of consciousness, mindfulness and visualization. 

In this time of increased stre...