Breathing

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position; Uncross your legs; Place your hands on your thighs; use this same positioning to train your body to relax when you use this hand placement;

Take a full breath in through your nose, with tip of tongue at the base of your upper teeth and fill up your lungs and if sitting, roll your shoulders up and back. You can do this once or to some extent with each in-breath; Feel the stretch in your chest as it opens;

Exhale through your mouth slowly and evenly, with tip of tongue at the base of your bottom teeth; as you exhale visualize pushing your navel in and back against your spine.

Repeat

Extend your variations on this practice by standing with your feet shoulder width apart; Women place the right hand over your navel and men do the opposite. Place the other hand on top.

Sink into a partially bent knee stance; begin the breath. When comfortable with the breathing extend your arms slightly bent at the elbow up from your belly and in a position resembling that of holding a ball.

You can extend the size of the ball, and alternate each hand from on top, to on the bottom of this “ball.” Do this with a rhythm that matches your breathing.

Make this practice your own, keeping this as the foundation.