the REN DAO Wellness Center Blog

A core part of the WBAI 12 week diabetes / hypertension program are two exercises; “Simple Smile Therapy” and “Limbic Breathing (or feather breathing)”. To preform these two exercise, first we would like you to smile (with teeth showing if possible) for a count of 60. Thats it. Next, we ask that you breath in naturally using your diaphragm (expanding the abdomen on inhale), then exhale very slowly. The exhale should be so soft and slow, that if you were breathing out onto a feather, the feather would barely move. The breathing exercise can be done for about three minutes.

Benefits of Smiling:

• Smiling makes us appear more attractive to others.

• Smiling can change our moods, help relieve depression and help reduce stress.

• Smiling can boosts our immune system as well as lower blood pressure.

• Smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers and serotonin, our natural feel good brain chemicals.

The benefits of Limbic Breathing include:

• Increasing oxygen delivered to cells.

• Reduces blood acid levels and normalizes blood ph.

• Reduces free radical activity.

• Improves circulation of blood, lymph, and other body fluids.

• Reduces activity of the sympathetic nervous systems.

If the blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration rate (number of breaths taken in a minute) are recorded before and after preforming these two exercise, we will expect to see reductions in most or all measurements. A reduction in blood pressure means the heart is not working as hard. Reducing the pulse rate means the heart has reduced the number of times it has to beat to circulate the blood. A reduction in respiration rate translates in more average time for the body to absorb oxygen from the lungs, increasing the oxygen level in the the blood and body.

With constant practice, these two exercise become habit and occur naturally. The benefits for our health would be priceless.