Change Your Life with a Single Breath

Dear Member,

The way you’re sitting right now could be having a real impact on your health. I often get a look of surprise when I tell this to my patients, but you can increase flexibility in your muscles and joints, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, even boost mood and energy levels… all through simple changes in the way you sit, stand… and breathe.

The secret lies in an ancient Eastern practice called Qi Gong [pronounced “chee-GUNG”].

Think of it as Chinese yoga. It isn’t well known in this country, but millions of people in Asia have been doing it daily for centuries. It’s a simple, time-tested method for achieving physical and mental balance at any age.

Qi Gong is based on the simple insight that all of our power for healthy living starts with how we breathe. Think about it: Our lives begin and end with a single breath. But most of the time we inhale and exhale subconsciously.

The problem is that as you age, your lung power gradually decreases. If you don’t do anything about it, you’ll lose 45% of lung capacity by age 75.1

This has serious implications for your overall health. Less oxygen makes its way to all your vital organs, your muscles, and over time, this can lead to potentially deadly health problems.

A study published in the European Society of Cardiology reported that even a moderate decline of lung volume increases your risk of heart disease by 200%.2 This is true even for those who have no family history of heart disease.

Qi Gong is an easy solution. It restores lost vital energy in a surprisingly simple way. You gently move through a series of precise, relaxed positions that subtly alter your posture and deepen your breathing. By bringing awareness to your breath and visualizing a state of relaxed calm, your lung volume increases, your heart rate and blood pressure come down, and your mind becomes calm and still.

Here’s one you can try right now, indoors or out, in just a few minutes (I usually do this exercise in the morning before I head to the Wellness Center):

  • Take off your shoes or if it’s too cold, put on some flat footwear.
  • Stand with your feet apart, in line with your shoulders, and keep your knees slightly bent.
  • Lower your sight line a little bit—say, parallel to the angle of your nose and down to the floor (or ground) in front of you.
  • Let your arms rest at your side, with your hands relaxed and fingers slightly open.
  • Bring your attention to your breath, perhaps repeating quietly to yourself “inhaling” and “exhaling.”
  • Gently direct your awareness to the sensation of your feet on the floor (or the ground if you’re outside). Now quietly imagine your joints opening up and relaxing.
  • Now let your awareness move gradually upward to your feet, then your ankles, knees and hips.
  • Rotate your hips forward slightly, keeping your ears centered over your shoulders and your hands gently at your side.
  • Straighten your posture. One way to achieve the right position is to imagine that your head is being drawn up toward the ceiling, almost as if there were an invisible string running from the ceiling and down through the center of your head and spine. This will create space between your vertebrae and permit your lungs to draw deeper breaths.

    • Start out each day this way, but slowly—5 to 10 minutes at most. You can devote longer stretches of time to it if you like. Either way, you’ll start to notice a gradual change over time in your general sense of well being—reduced stress, a greater sense of calm and wellness, easier breathing, and less tension in your back, neck, and shoulders.

    Just as important, this exercise will help preserve and restore lung volume. This lowers your risk of heart attack and can actually keep you looking younger.

    I first learned this technique a few years ago from a Qi Gong teacher here in Florida a friend of mine recommended. His name is Cameron Bishop. Turns out he’s quite knowledgeable when it comes to safe, natural ways to improve your health through simple methods like Qi Gong, meditation and acupuncture.

    To Your Good Health,


    Al Sears MD

    [Editor’s Note: Cameron Bishop is a licensed acupuncturist in the State of Florida. He studied in Japan and has an accredited Master’s degree in Acupuncture from the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NAIOM). Mr. Bishop practices in Lake Worth, FL. For more information, visit his Web site: http://www.AskWithin.com/ .]

    1.Dr Dean Ward, “Biological Aging Measurement.” 1988.
    2.European Society of Cardiology, 1998.