How often do you come to a halt and become aware of your breathing? How often do you stop breathing automatically in order to control your breathing for a few seconds? One method for focusing on the "here and now," for being able to stop living in the past and future and start living in the present, that is, to stop living what we don't have and start living what we do have, is to breathe consciously. It is not necessary to have constant control over our breathing, but we should be aware of it at some point of the day. Controlling our breathing and, as a result, allowing ourselves to "come back to ourselves" is a step toward being able to control other aspects of our lives. 
  
It is estimated that one-third of the world's population does not breathe properly. This is harmful to our health. Breathing is a very powerful tool that we have within us that allows us to easily reach a parasympathetic, or relaxed, state. This is the most effective method for developing body awareness. Breathing becomes ineffective and faster in cases of anxiety. We try to re-educate our breathing patterns through breathing exercises in order to slow down. Enter a state of relaxation and healing. 
 
Exercise 
Watch your breath. 
 
Lay down in a comfortable position. Put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest. As you breathe, feel your hand on your belly rise and fall. Try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, but don't get too caught up in this if it's not comfortable for you. Take several deep, controlled breaths, and then simply observe your breath, without any control but with complete awareness. Feel your bodily sensations as you breathe. Concentrate solely on your breathing, and whenever your mind wanders, notice it and let it go, returning your attention to the breath. 
 
By regulating our breathing, we create a very conscious link between breath and mind. This allows us to work on our thought patterns more effectively. 
 
Carolina Trindade, Clinical Psychologist