Why does smoking feel so good? One of the reasons is that, for many people, when they take a lungful of smoke it is about the only time they breathe in and out a decent amount of air.

The way you breathe is far more important than you realise. It has a direct and instant effect on the way you feel - your emotional state, your energy levels, the way you percieve yourself and so on. I have spent half my life studying the effects of breathing and posture and can tell you that changing the way you breathe will change your life. The fact that it will also help you give up smoking is almost a side benefit.

Surely I've been successfully breathing all my life. What could I be doing wrong?

That depends on what you mean by successfully. Yes you're still alive but can you honestly say you're thriving?
Poor breathing habits are associated with the following:

• lack of energy and almost constant fatigue
• feelings of depression
• easily prone to illness
• lack of any real sense of self

Every single cell in your body needs oxygen. With enough oxygen blood cells can transport nutrients, brain cells can process thoughts and images, the cells of the immune system can fight infections and diseases and so on. Without a good supply of oxygen these interrelated systems can't work efficiently. Add to that the regular pollution of nicotine poisoning that needs to be combated and it is little wonder that smoking is bad for you. Learning to breathe more fully and efficiently will help clear out the toxins from your body faster thus reducing the time you spend still addicted to nicotine.

With a good supply of oxygen all the parts of the body can function efficiently. This removes a lot of cellular stress and at te same time brings in lots of energy. By learning how to take control of your breathing you can also gain much greater control over your moods and emotions, you can learn to release stress using just your breathing and discover the many other benefits of good breathing (including its potential to increase fat burning).

Your breathing alone can bring many of the benefits of smoking including stress relief. So why not replace your smoking with something that can actually help you to lose weight?