Breathing

In discussing the diaphragm muscle, the book Trail Guide to the Body (an excellent anatomy book for anyone who focuses on or is interested in the musculoskeletal structure) contains a sidebar which reads: "The heart is directly affected by the motion of the diaphragm. As the heart's fibrous pericardium is attached to the diaphragm's central tendon by ligaments, the heart literally rides up and down on the diaphragm as you breathe. The yogis were right - breathing can massage the heart!" I would add Taijiquan and any other meditative or "conscious breathing" exercise to this, in addition to the old standby aerobic activity. We often don't think about our breath, myself included, so we often don't consider that we might be able to breathe "better." Breathing massages the heart, and assists and is tied so many other important bodily functions that it can also help relieve stress. Dr. Andrew Weil describes three good breathing exercises each with a different purpose.