text: Guest Post from My Mom, Gee: Stress Reduction 101 | The Pioneer Woman
  Puddin' It Is.
  Guest Post from My Mom, Gee: Stress Reduction 101
  by The Pioneer Woman on September 16, 2008
  Ha…gotcha, didn't I? You know, part of my approach here on Confessions of a Pioneer Woman is to change things up, to keep you on your toes, and to make absolutely no sense from day to day. And in that respect—if in no other—I'm a rip-roaring success!
  Today, in keeping with that there-is-no-cohesive-theme-to-this-godforsaken-website approach, here's a post my mom, Gee, wrote for us this morning. Gee, my mom, is a clinical social worker in a cancer center and a mind-body-medicine therapist, which means every time she visits me, she forces me to lie down on my bed, close my eyes and breathe out the stresses and toxins of life. Literally forces me, through emotional and psychological means. Then she performs some sort of bizarre massage ritual on my feet and makes me eat a live chicken. All of this to prove her research-backed belief that in many ways, our health and wellness are directly tied to the level of stress we allow into our lives.
  Not really on the live chicken part.
  Here's my mom. I hope she helps make your Tuesday more relaxing, stress-free, groovy and centered. As a physician's daughter and natural skeptic when it comes to "alternative medicine", I have to say that the technique my mom is about to describe to you has become a regular, daily exercise for me. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I think she's onto something.
  Take it, mom! Sorry I never answer your emails. Don't be hatin'.
  Hi, guys—it's Gee, Ree's mom, and I want to talk about breathing today. Breathing: what could be more automatic? Why would I write a tutorial on breath? Well, believe it or not, it's because your breath is one of the most powerful tools you possess for improving your health.
  You may never even have noticed that from your first step onto the floor in the morning until the time your head hits the pillow at night, you breathe in shallowly and rapidly according to your emotional state and external stress. You singers and yoga types are with me already, aren't you? This is unconscious breathing. Your emotional state and external stress determines your breathing.
  The good news is this: You can turn that around. You can make your breathing determine your emotional state, and this can vastly improve your physical health. It involves learning a simple technique called Soft Belly Breathing (a.k.a., "conscious breathing" or "diaphragmatic breathing").
  No pieces of exercise equipment are required; your breath is always with you! What IS required is intention—intention and a minute or two at your desk, on your front porch, waiting in the carpool line, sitting in your physician's waiting room (plenty of evidence exists that belly breathing lowers blood pressure), after an argument with your boss, or, for Ree, while preg-testing cows. It's YOUR intention, YOUR awareness, YOUR experiment…not an imposed agenda.
  Why bother to learn belly breathing? Evidence-based research now shows that stress is a component of almost any disease we can name, and that by committing to de-stress, we can promote our own healing. What great news!
  You say there's no time in your life for week-long vacations or even twenty-minute meditations? No problem! In one or two minutes, you can halt the secretion of those stress hormones (adrenaline, epinephrine, cortisol) that are are playing havoc with your immune system. Not only that, they are being produced entirely without your permission since they're a product of the autonomic nervous system (meaning they happen automatically.)
  The bottom line is this: Stress hormones are toxic to your health, and YOU have the antidote! So, let's get to it! Are you ready to signal your body that you are in charge?
  (Note from Ree: My mom seriously does this every time she comes to my house. Welcome to my world.)
  Sit in a chair in which you feel comfortable and supported, with your feet on the floor. Soften your belly (Yes, this move is a bit counter-cultural, as we're all about holding it in, aren't we? Ree always has a problem with this part. It's a ballet dancer thing. But don't worry—no one is watching!) Breathe in through your nose and imagine a column of air going directly to your belly and filling the space, almost as if blowing up a balloon. Breathe out slowly through your mouth.
  Try it again. Breathe in through your nose, directing the air to the abdominal region…..then out through your mouth. Your upper chest is not moving—only your belly. Continue that breathing and on every outbreath, imagine more tension and worry leaving your body. Breathing in calm…..breathing out tension.
  (Note from Ree: I feel it, Mom! I feel it! Ahhhh. I'm letting it happen.)
  Hush, Ree. I'm not talking to you. Now, continue with several more belly breaths, then stop and notice where you feel relaxation in your body. Are your shoulders coming down? Are the muscles in your arms, legs, neck letting go and relaxing?
  Hooray! You've done a great thing for your health while investing only a couple of minutes! Now, when you think of it throughout your day today (remember, intention is the key), try it again, and again, and again. (Note: If you want, add soft, relaxing music, low light, and continue for 5, 10 or 20 minutes.)
  Here's to your health, PW readers! Keep breathing!
  It's great you have your Mom around.
  http://nyveldt.com	Shelah
  http://retardedinlove.com	Michelle
  Wow.. it's kind of hard for me to breathe in without letting my upper chest inflate. I'll have to practice this one.
  Ahh, I'm breathing too.
  http://www.halfassedkitchen.com	Half Assed Kitchen
  Holy cow (nuts!) Your mom is beautiful!
  Good stuff. Thanks Gee & Ree!
  I was doing it as I was reading. I'll try it today at work…thanks Gee
  Awesome!!! This is stuff you know you should do but seldom remember to do it. Thanks for the Reminder Gee!!
  http://www.abiding.typepad.com	Deb
  I sooo agree with you. I've learned a lot about breathing over the past couple of years and it's been extremely helpful. Great to hear from you Gee!
  If I can look like your mom in a few years I'll breathe any old way she tells me! Thanks Gee and Ree!
  http://n/a	Sharon from Idaho
  Ree, I see where you get your looks from.. Your mom is beautiful… Enjoy her…
  http://cjwsbg.blogspot.com	cjwsbg
  MM is lucky, since you are going to look amazing when you have grand children-just like your mom does!
  Thanks for the short stress reliever! It brought my blood pressure down low enough to not flip out that the kids flung their cereal all over the kitchen while I was in here breathing…
  Amazingly, I didn't need to soften my belly. hmmmm.
  Well, off to clean up, deep breaths…deep breaths….
  Oh, how I need to breathe this week!
  http://www.planetmfiles.com	Gayle
  My MIL is a phobia counselor and has taught this technique to my daughter and myself. The guys in my family don't seem to need it. I guess they're stress-free!
  http://katieslaterphotography.blogspot.com	KTBee
  Welcome Gee! Thanks for the post on breathing, I definitely needed it and I really liked the visual of the column of air going into my belly. It helped me to get it right I think…
  http://beaches.uptake.com/	Traveldoc
  So you're Ree, and your Mom is Gee. Umm… how bout Granma? Mee?
  http://www.neffajawea.blogspot.com	Kelly
  Awesome! If only soft belly breathing folded the laundry and mopped the apple juice spilled on the kitchen floor…dang it, I need to breathe again…
  Seriously, though, awesome. Thanks!
  Thanks Gee!! If there is anyone out there who says "ahh Baloney I don't need any kind of stress relief" They're lying. And Ree if you inherit 1 percent of your moms perfect aging genes, not that you need them yet, you'll be all set !!
  Love it! (and very timely for me)
  How DID you know that I needed this exact post today?!?! Thanks for the wonderful stress-reliever!
  The first thing I thought when your site opened, was, wow, what a beautiful woman.
  Sorry, though, Gee, I'll breath later, right now the stuff on my desk is attempting a hostile takeover.
  Pat-the-Mommy
  Wow, with all the stress I have in my life at the moment, this post was PERFECT! Thank you, Gee, it is very much appreciated.
  http://web.mac.com/tnbryant	Joc
  Mmm. What a nice way to spend my morning break. I feel better already.
  http://www.reddirtramblings.com	Dee/reddirtramblings
  Thanks for the reminder, Gee. I learned to do this from meditation and yoga, and believe me, it helps.~~Dee