A natural solution for insomnia

Robert Harrington – The many pressures of life have contributed to a veritable epidemic of insomnia. People young and old, rich and poor everywhere have problems getting to sleep at night. Because the relentless stresses of post-modern life constitute the primary cause, insomnia does not seem to discriminate against any particular demographic … except one.

Those folks who really know how to relax and have adopted various stress management techniques seem to fare the best with getting a good night’s sleep. Of all the relaxation techniques one can utilize, none is as effective and fast-working as breathing techniques. There are actually several types of breathing techniques designed for different purposes, each executed according to various patterns and formulas.

Ayurveda, the science of life from India and mother of all healing arts, has much to offer the West, particularly where it concerns proper breath and breathing exercises. The various pranayamas of hatha yoga all find their source in this ancient system which extols the virtues of breath in the healing process.

With that background, an American physician has now developed a yoga-inspired breathing technique because of the many requests that he received from his insomniac patients worldwide. I’ts called the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise.

“The 4-7-8 breathing technique was pioneered by Dr. Andrew Weill from Arizona, who describes the yoga-inspired method as ‘utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.’ Continue reading →