Lotus Olbas breathing technique
"Take a couple of minutes twice a day to practise these two simple techniques, either together or singly, to lower stress levels and boost energy," says yoga teacher Danielle Collins, who devised them for Lotus Olbas Tissues.
"There's minimum effort involved in these but if any parts of them cause pain or dizziness you should stop and consult your GP," she says.
Step One
Repeat at least four times or continue until you feel relaxed and calm:
Start sitting or standing with feet hip-width apart, tailbone tucked under and a long straight spine.
Look forward and drop shoulders away from ears. If at home, you can lie down or sit cross-legged.
Take a moment to thinking about each part of your body, starting from the feet and finishing with the face. Aim to consciously relax any tension which you may feel in each area.
Place one hand on stomach, over belly button. Place index finger, middle finger and ring finger of the other hand between eyebrows with rest of hand gently cupped about three centimetres away from face.
To enhance the benefits hold an essential oil infused tissue, such as a Lotus Olbas Tissue, in your cupped palm, keeping it in place with your thumb.
Inhale deeply through nose, feeling the hand on stomach rise, making sure chest stays as still as possible.
As you practice silently repeat the word 'relax'. Exhale through nose feeling stomach draw in and again repeat, in your head, the words 'let go'. Aim to make the exhalation a little longer than the inhalation.
Step Two
Repeat at least four times:
Stand with legs a hip-width apart and toes spread. Imagine a string through centre of body, attached to ceiling. Let that image encourage you to lengthen and straighten spine.
Drop shoulders away from ears, slightly tuck chin in towards your chest, and look forward.
As with step one, take a moment to relax each part of body in turn. Lightly cup hands over eyes and nose, enhancing the effect by holding an essential oils-infused tissue if you wish. Fingers should be gently touching forehead, above eyebrows. Cupped palms should be about three centimetres away from face.
Take a deep inhalation through nose, feeling stomach expand, chest staying still and say the word 'relax' to yourself.
As you exhale, breathe through nose and let stomach draw in towards spine. As you do this, bend forward bringing face towards legs, slightly bending knees and letting arms drop down by the side of body, swinging them as far back behind you as you can.
Feel all the muscles relax as you drop forward in this 'skiing' motion. In your mind say the words 'let go'.
As you inhale, come back up to standing, uncurling spine vertebra by vertebra and sweeping arms back and hands up to cup face again. On your next exhalation, drop forward, in the 'skiing' motion, as before.
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