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Breathing Technique, Mindfulness, and Yoga | 67

6. Breathing Technique, Mindfulness,

and Yoga

Christine Berger

Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing or
belly breathing, is a core activity of meditation and yoga
practices and an important therapeutic technique in its own
right. Various Eastern religious and philosophical traditions cite
the breath as a bridge connecting mind-body-emotions-spirit
(Brown 2009). The breath can indicate the level of peace and
contentment of a client. Anxious or depressed individuals
breathe only from the upper chest, in a shallow fashion, whereas
individuals who have an integrated mind-body system breathe
deeply, from the diaphragm. Therefore, for clients with anxiety
disorders or depression, it follows that breath training can serve
as an empowering adjunctive treatment for these mental health
challenges (Weil 2006). In fact, according to Philippott et al, cited
by Brown and Gerbarg, changing breath patterns therapeutically
“can account for at least 40% in feelings of anger, fear, joy and
sadness” (Brown 2009).