Breathing Exercises

If you think about the essentials of life, the body can live without food for at least a month. You can do without water for several days, but you can only do without air for a few minutes. Air is absolutely essential for life, so why not promote it.

Many of the ancient meditation techniques involve the breath and it is not without good reason. Dr. Harry Goldbatt found that rat cells deprived of oxygen easily developed malignancies while normal cells did not. Athletes, who get much more oxygen, only have a cancer rate that is 1/7th the rate of the average American.

Furthermore, lymphologist, Jack Shields, has shown that deep diaphragmatic breath is the most effective way to stimulate and clean the lymphatic system and actually stimulates the immune system. Deep breathing actually multiples the rate at which the body eliminates toxins.

I'd like to extend this information one more step and suggest that healthy breathing, enough to stimulate the immune system, not only prevents disease, but it actually improves performance. As a result, I'd like to suggest you do the following exercise.

At least once each day, take ten deep breaths. Breathe in the following manner: Inhale for five seconds, starting the breath deep in your abdomen with your diaphragm. Now hold that breath for the count of twenty seconds to help it fully oxygenate your blood and activate your lymphatic system. Lastly, breathe out for a count of ten seconds.

If this exercise is too strenuous, then use a smaller number in the ratio 1:4:2. In other words, you hold for four times as long as you inhale. Try this exercise twice a day for the next month and make a note of how you feel.

Chances are that, if you commit to it, that you'll find yourself becoming a littler clearer, a little more open, and a little more receptive to what is really happening. And if that happens, even if you are only slightly aware of it, then you should notice a difference in your trading. However, all of this does assume that you are following my other tips in this series.