These have been split into four sections for four different ways of connecting with healthier breathing.  The are largely for experimenting with; seeing feeling your breathing in safer more measurable ways.  
1. Calming  OBPC6-20SpCB - Beginner to Intermediate 
2. Relaxed Focus  OBPRF22-40SpCB - Intermediate to Challenging
3. Energized Focus  OBPEF12-2SpCB  - Beginner to Challenging
4. Rapid Repeated Belly Breathing  R2B2

• Calming
• Slows the breathing rate and extends the length of the exhale, without 
• Enhanced self regulation/control.
• Slow down or stop excessive thoughts (monkey mind).
• Enhanced recovery or protection from stressful experience.
• Helps to hold increases in breathing.
• Reduces tension in the solar plexus and rib cage, calming your body and 
  mind, and helping to neutralize negative emotions.
• Strengthens or tones your body in a way that allows it to find and 
  maintain its internal balance simultaneously.
• May lengthen the resting breathing pause experienced without any accompanying breathing exercise.
• May reduce acidosis and lactic acid buildup.
• Improved relaxed focus and concentration.
• May improve blood pH/carbon dioxide balance.
• Helps balance parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation response system) even when stressed or nauseated.
• Discover the power of now that Eckardt Tole  talks about
• Can increase blood plasma levels of carbon dioxide for improved oxygen 
  uptake to the hemoglobin therefore may act as a passive form of aerobic exercise.
• A breathing meditation.
• Aids increased emotional consistency throughout the day.
• Balances the third chakra, helping put the ego in balance.
• Strengthened intuition (gut feelings).
• A good exercise to do when holding colicky babies.

Degrees of difficulty: We have added a gradient scale of easier to harder animations in the practice portion. Begin with this training level and progress at your own speed to the more difficult. Mild hunger for air is ok but no more than mild, ever.

Position:

• Standing, sitting, side, or back.
• Shoulders remain down. Do not allow them to rise.
• 360 degree "belly" breath. Use fingers and thumbs from the Squeeze and breathe to get the feel of where you should feel the breathing beginning in the front, sides, back of the lower abdomen.

Here we have a series of animations with increasing degrees of difficulty in letting go and allowing slight hunger for air. 

What follows is a demonstration of our 6 seconds per complete breath (6SPCB).

In the practice portion you will have more challenging choices, but get this training one right first.  

• Occasionally check yourself in the mirror to make sure you are not slipping up into a high chest breath - (position 1 in the strapping technique) and creating or worsening Superman Syndrome.
• Mostly it is TRAINING, not natural breathing but it IS based on natural breathing so there is a lot of natural breathing overlap and underpinnings.
• Most everyone is going to want to exhale faster. This is a very slow exhale to extend the exhale without tightening the belly muscles.
•  When the black belly portion of the silhouette expands but the ribs don't start to expand until a few frames later is what we want to have happen. The ribs did not expand because at that point the lungs had not expanded enough for the ribs to need to expand. 

"Should one always follow the end of a deep breath up in the chest - moving from deep in belly up to chest?"

Good question. No, The chest just fills by itself. Maintain mental emphasis on the lower trunk or foundation.  Never direct the breath upwards.  You do not have to blow up a balloon in parts. The air goes where there is least resistance. Use the strapping technique to open up the chest and it will fill by itself.

OBPC6SpCB	A special note: The belly portion of the silhouette expands but the ribs don't start to expand until a few frames later. This is what we want to have happen. The ribs did not expand because at that point the lungs had not expanded enough for the ribs to need to expand.  Remember the Squeeze and breathe? Begin with the exhale.	Alerts:Do not push the breath out to make the exhale longer. Let it out slowly. Like  pressing the valve in an inner tube to let air out, hold the breath back from quickly escaping to make the release of air very, very slow. Allow subtle tensions to release over time throughout your body. Occasionally check yourself in the mirror to make sure you are not slipping up into a high chest breath.	If you get anxious or high chest breathe repeatedly, it will be helpful to wear our Blue Velcro Strap mentioned in the guide book’s props and tools section.
click to enlarge

Most everyone is going to want to exhale faster, this is a very slow exhale to extend the exhale without tightening the belly muscles. Most err by letting too much air out in the beginning. It is TRAINING, not natural breathing.

If you think you are ready for the practice then follow your chosen animation(s) at the end of this page. I suggest you begin with OBPC6.

Begin with the exhale.

Progress:

• Ability to go at a slower pace without even mild hunger for air.
• Less tension in your sternum and/or rib cage.
• Improved focus and concentration.
• More belly breathing, less tension in your rib cage.
• Deeper, faster onset, and/or extended sleep or rest.
• Improved saliva and/or urine alkalinity.
• Increased number of seconds per complete breath.

Optional: You may pray as you practice, or visualize something you wish for in your life, or close your eyes and visualize sending healing energy to areas of the body or organs of the body.

Continued practice Will allow you to no longer need the animation as your habituation will allow for more ease and flow and choosing the pattern you feel most comfortable with.

Your natural breathing rate may vary to some degree after a few repetitions as you relax into the technique. This may be especially noticed as you do the practice immediately on awakening with your eyes still closed.  Allow this to occur and let it be a more peaceful version.

A more arduous form for enhanced degrees of focus and concentration are OBPEF and OBPRF but wait till you have done all the exercises in between before you attempt these advanced practices. 

OBPC6-20SpCB PRACTICE Timing variations and degrees of difficulty: We recommend 5 minute sessions for starters then increasing to ten minutes in one minute per session or hourly or daily increments. NEVER be in a hurry. Be more curious instead of goal oriented. Begin with the easiest and progress to the more difficult at your own speed. Allow your body to accept this new way of breathing. If you feel uncomfortable at all, as with body tension or too much hunger for air, try a few to see if you can adapt and if not, revert back to the previous one that you were able to do with ease. Stay with that one for a while then try the harder version. Some may need to start at one minute a day and work up to 5,10,15 over as many days. COMFORT ZONE? Once you are comfortable with the first one for a while go to the next higher numbered more difficult version. This step up may take minutes to weeks for some. See how far up from 6 you can get before any signs of discomfort occur. NEVER leave your comfort zone. If discomfort arises stop immediately and do 1 of 4 things. Try a lower number. Stay with the one that feels comfortable. Some may practice for hours with no negative results. Do Strapping Technique 1-4 and/or practice any of your favorite OB Calming exercises then come back to the OBP Series today or tomorrow  If you get anxious continuously, integrate with our Blue Velcro Strap and/or call us for guidance or seek an holistic health professional. Stop altogether and seek a health professional. We have eliminated the IN, OUT, PAUSE numbering in the OBPC6-10SpCB as they were too fast to follow and became distracting. Recapping. The inhalation follows the animation. Mostly in to the belly (if possible) or lower part of the pear to maximum OBW7.  If you go past OBW7 you risk going above OBW8 to 9 and 10 and creating excessive tension. The exhalation depends on the length of the 6-20 Calming exercise gradients The objective of this exercise is to lengthen little by little the exhalation without any air hunger discomfort or pulling in the belly muscles or going past OBW3. Example: You practice OBPC6SpCB until it is easy then go to the next degree of difficulty or in this case OBPC8SpCB. If you cannot adjust to any hunger for air within a few minutes then revert back to the previous level of difficulty and try to return after you have stayed at the easier level for an extended period of time. Make sure your nasal passages are as clear as possible lest you have significant resistance to the nose breathing.  OBPC6SpCB OBPC8SpCB OBPC10SpCB OBPC12SpCB click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge
OBPC14SpCB	OBPC16SpCB	OBPC18SpCB	OBP20SpCB
click to enlarge	click to enlarge	click to enlarge	click to enlarge

Check in at the end of the series. Sense your breathing body by closing your eyes, breathing in deeply but gently and noticing whatever you notice, then let go the exhale. Breathe naturally.