4-7-8 Breath

Adapted from DrWeil.com

This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. It becomes more effective with time and can be done as often as you like. You can use this whenever something upsetting happens, before you react. It is also helpful for internal tension and for insomnia.

• Sit comfortably with your back straight.
  
• Place your tongue on the ridge just behind your front teeth.
  
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
  
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
  
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
  

The actual time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. You can do this more quickly at first if it is hard to hold your breath, and breathe more slowly as you get practice. Do it at least twice a day. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. Don’t worry if you get a bit lightheaded at first.

Yoga Helps Reduce Hot Flashes

Some of the most life-altering symptoms of peri-menopause are hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and mental fogginess. Yoga is commonly recommended as a form of exercise for peri-menopausal women, but not necessarily for help with controlling peri-menopausal symptoms. A study recently published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests that women experiencing such symptoms could benefit from a regular integrated yoga practice.

Researchers conducted a randomized controlled study in 14 centers of yoga research in Bangalore, India to assess the effect of a regularly practiced yoga on peri-menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbance. They randomized 120 peri-menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 55 to either a yoga or control group. The women in the yoga group practiced yoga postures (asana), breathing exercises and cyclic meditation for one hour 5 days per week. The control group participated in supervised simple physical exercises for the same amount of time per week.

Results: The women in the yoga group experienced a greater reduction in hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances. In addition, the women practicing yoga experienced improved cognitive functions such as concentration, memory (remote and short term) and an overall "mental balance".


Read more about developing a yoga practice


Read the abstract
Reference: Chattha R, Nagarathna R, Padmalatha V, Nagendra HR. Effect of yoga on cognitive functions in climacteric syndrome: a randomised control study. BJOG 2008;115:991-1000