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Nirvana Diet

A Diet For the Mind

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Meditation and Controlled Breathing Reduce Stress

December 23, 2016 by Skyler Madison Leave a Comment

Controlled breathing can help you meditate and do wonders for reducing stress.

Meditation begins with controlled breathing.

Meditation and breathing are one of the eight limbs to achieving yoga. Yoga is an enlightened perspective or outlook. Although the Western version of yoga focuses on the postures, any real yogi would say that is only done to train the body so you can sit in meditation. There are eight limbs according Patanjali, considered to be the sage of how to understand and do yoga. One of the most powerful limbs was considered to be controlled breathing or what is called in Sanskrit as pranayama. For centuries yogis have used controlled breathing to access a meditative state both of which promotes concentration and improves vitality.

Controlled breathing allows you to access meditation.

I would like to share with you a powerful technique I learned that you can use to start or even as you meditation practice. You can sign up for my Creative Mindfulness Stress Reduction Course which will put all of this together for you.

You sit upright, wrap your thumb around the index finger and the rest are spread out. Close your eyes and focus your attention at a spot in the center of your forehead. Begin inhaling to the count of five, hold for three and then exhale for the count of five, once again holding for three before you inhale. I guarantee if you try this simple breathing technique, and there are more advanced ones that I teach in my Meditation Training, you will be amazed how powerful it is.

Controlled breathing has been shown to reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system.

Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real. Studies have found, for example, that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder and improving the immune system. It does wonders for enhancing concentration and focus.

We now understand the role stress plays both in weight gain and illness. That’s why it is so important to learn how to do this. In fact, you can also use it anytime you feel stressed during the day. Just taking a few deep breaths can bring on the relaxation response on at will.

One theory, according to Dr. Richard Brown who wrote The Healing Power of the Breath, is that controlled breathing changes or directly affects the body’s autonomic nervous system, which controls unconscious processes such as heart rate and digestion as well as the body’s stress response. I have tried this when I am on the treadmill that monitors my heart rate and it always amazes me how it goes right down.

Consciously changing the way you breathe appears to send a signal to the brain to adjust the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system. This slows down the heart rate, digestion and promotes feelings of calm reducing the release of harmful stress hormones like cortisol.

When you take slow, steady breaths, your brain gets the message that all is well and activates the parasympathetic response or relaxation response.

This is a no brainer and it can really do wonders to improve your well-being.

I have created a powerful course, Creative Mindfulness that teaches all of these techniques and helps you to make meditation easy.  I cannot think of a better gift to give to you!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: controlled breathing, meditate, reduce stress, yoga

Make Your Exercise Count: What you Eat is only a part of your plan for success

November 22, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

woman-hikerThere is something magical that happens when you start tracking or counting your exercise. It gives you motivation to exceed what you have done and more aware of what you are doing. Many of my clients use loseit.com and now they are synched up with a new product that is only $99 that can help you keep track of how much you are exercising. It is called FITBIT.

What I love about FITBIT is that you can count steps, calories burned; miles walked or run and even keep track of calories you are burning when you are not exercising. There are a few ways to get in your daily exercise to be what I call in the weight loss zone. They are: walk 10,000 steps a day or five miles or burn 400 to 500 calories.

You’ll be  amazed once you start to keep track, you have a benchmark against which you can improve. You will want to do more and more to  make your goal. If you think being healthy and losing weight  is just about the food you eat think again. It is also not just about being a maniac about exercise without the food piece. They are two pieces in to puzzle and you don’t get the results without the other.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Harvard School of Public Affairs, whose research I respect, determined that after the age of 50 you need to exercise for one hour a day to prevent weight gain. This works out to be a little less than what you have to do to lose weight depending on how hard you are working out. It is not about working out hard, as much as doing something every day you enjoy. If you are looking for a motivational hypnosis for exercise I have one that really works.  Here is the link to download it. Once you get hypnotized you fill find  you start to enjoy exercise. That is now hypnotism works, it is designed to help you have the thoughts about exercise you want, not the ones that keep you stuck.

Personally, I walk every day in nature. I could not live without that. I also enjoy hiking on weekends and a great yoga class (link to past post on yoga if you have one). I have also found that the yogic breathing I teach which is available in my meditation download is great exercise for the lungs. I am never out of breath.  Tel l me what you enjoy doing?

Filed Under: Blog, Health and Wellness, Weight Loss Tagged With: Fitbit, Harvard School o, loseit, motivation for exercise, yoga

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