Dearest:  My guest tonight, Fred L. Miller, is an Author, Speaker, Coach & Yoga Teacher.
He speaks and conducts unique programs in the areas of For Love of Work, Developing A 
Personal Spiritual Practice, Effective Decision Making, Accessing Your Creativity, and 
Everyday Courage. 

Fred L. Miller is author of the new book, "How To Calm Down: Three Deep Breaths To Peace
of Mind." By using Mr. Miller's relaxation/breathing exercise, you can calm yourself down
in seconds, anytime, anywhere with these easy techniques. Whether stranded in traffic, 
stressed at work, or stuck in the so-called express line, impatience is hurting your health. 
We get frustrated because we expect technology to function perfectly every time, when it 
often doesn't.

Even our spirituality can be sapped by impatience. As we speed through traffic or elbow
our way angrily through a crowded mall, we're thinking about the future, getting to the
next appointment, crossing the next item off a to-do list, rather than being mindful of
the joy and spirituality of the present moment. 

Welcome to Power Surge, Mr. Miller. We're very informal here. May we call you Fred? 


Fred Miller:  Yes, please :) 


Dearest:  I think it would be fun to begin by everyone in the audience participating in
your "three deep breaths" relaxation exercise. Would you be kind enough to slowly guide
us through it, so we'll be nice and relaxed for the rest of the chat?  


Fred Miller:  Yes 


Dearest:  Okay, everyone, let's do this together! 


Fred Miller:  Sit up straight in your computer chair. 

Keep your eyes open and keep breathing

Breathe through your nose 

Next, inhale a little deeper 

Now exhale a little longer 

Next inhale a little slower - feel it come in 

Slow, easy exhalations 

Inhale one more time 

Long, slow exhalations 

Now, go back to your normal breathing 

Feel each breath as it comes and goes 

Feel your breath in your nostrils as it comes and goes, breathing naturally 

Feel the air rush against the skin on the inside of your nose 

Now feel the temperature of the air as it comes and goes 

Feel that the inhale is cooler than the exhale 

Notice that you can feel the difference in the temperature between inhale and exhale 

Listen for the sound of your breathing 

You may hear it in your nostrils, your throat or your inner ear. 

That's it for right now. 


Dearest:  How does everyone feel? 


PatC:  that was very relaxing 
sturdywoman:  good 
Dearest:  zzzzzzzzzzzzzz 
NancyV:  better more relaxed it seems 
Jane25:  good 
MrsUnderstood:  quieter 
JRS:  giggley :) 
Jane25:  ;-) 


Dearest:  Fred, how do your breathing exercises compare to breathing into a paper bag?


Fred Miller:  No correlation at all. It's completely different.  Using a paper bag to 
breathe into is more for hiccups. It's a technique - anything to take your attention away 
from what you're doing.  Breathing into your cupped hands will work, too. 


HSpec:  when I learned this technique many years ago, I was told to hold between inhalation 
and exhalation to allow more carbon dioxide to leave your body and to increase the amount
of oxygen getting into your body. that this helps to further the stress reduction. do you 
agree or disagree with this and why?


Fred Miller:  Holding your breath after inhale and exhale is something to build up very 
slowly.  Also, there is a full stop or slight pause after every normal inhalation and 
exhalation. 


Dearest:  Isn't it also true that carbon dioxide acts as a relaxant to the body's organs
and oxygen more a stimulant?  


Fred Miller:  I don't know 


GGc0ok:  What if one gets dizzy, is that suppose to happen?  I don't think that's a calm 
feeling.  


Fred Miller:  Yes, there is skin inside your nostrils.  Don't take deep breaths long 
enough to make yourself dizzy. 


Yolanda:  How do you relax when having a hot flash -- when no one else seem to understand. 


Fred Miller:  Sit quietly and breath. You don't have to explain a hot flash to anyone.  


Dearest:  It's timely that you're visiting with us tonight as I just created a topic on
our active anxiety message board about other ways we can relax besides taking medication. 
Can you share some tips or activities that might be helpful in combating anxiety? 


Fred Miller:  Any physical activity will combat anxiety. Personally, I recommend 
breathing, yoga and prayer. 


Dearest:  You speak about prayer. How does spirituality, things like affirmations, mantras, 
fit into the whole relaxation process you espouse?  


Fred Miller:  Let's start the topic of emotional stability.  

Emotional stability is having a spiritual anchor in your heart.  The spiritual anchor is 
different for everyone. It's your God, your Deity, your understanding of the universe.  
Deepening your relationship with a power greater than ourselves creates a spiritual anchor 
in your heart. Prayer, affirmations, mantras are one path to establishing that relationship. 
Daily practice deepens the relationship. Daily practice will begin to eliminate anxiety and 
fear and deepen one's faith. 


Jimi:  Anxiety and hot flushes are both common symptoms of menopause.  One seems to 
aggravate the other.  What do these two symptoms have in common?  


Fred Miller:  Someone who has personally experienced hot flushes will have to answer 
this. Is it true? Yes or no? 


Dearest:  Fred Miller isn't a menopause expert, but what you say is true, Jimi.  Hot flashes 
can spur anxiety attacks and anxiety attacks can cause hot flashes. They both work hand in 
hand. Jimi, you can read more about it in this article, "What Is A Hot Flash? 


HSpec:  Does this technique work if you are a mouth breather instead of a nasal breather? 


Fred Miller:  Yes, it does.  Close your lips and leave a small opening.  Feel your
breath as it rushes across your lips, coming and going. 


JRS:  What would you say is the most unique aspect of your relaxation program? 


Fred Miller:  It works with little effort.  Try 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes
in the evening and it will change your life. 


JRS:  Breathe, pray and yoga? 


Fred Miller:  Also, a minute or 2 anytime during the day, at your desk at work, in
the ladies room, taking a short walk outside. 


Jane25:  I had surgery on my face last summer. I had cancer. I totally freaked until I 
started my yoga breathing which I have done for years. That got me through the
procedure. 


Fred Miller:  A great testimonial for breathing exercises! 


Jane25:  Yes :) 


Fred Miller:  One of my students got through a root canal using breathing techniques
that he had learned. 


Twinkle:  I am taking Paxil for anxiety, and it helps somewhat with my hot flashes, but,
I'm wondering, is it possible to talk ourselves out of a "flash," or at least lessen the 
severity? Thanks.


Fred Miller:  Absolutely. 


Fred Miller:  Let's assume that it starts with the onset of an anxiety attack. Change your
perspective as the cognitive psychologists recommend.  Take a step back and objectively 
review the situation. Three deep breaths will change your perspective.  It will soothe your 
anxiety, quiet your mind and give you an objective view of whatever was causing the 
anxiety. 


Dearest:  In your book you discuss "touch, scent and taste." Can you explain a bit about
how these senses can be utilized in effecting a relaxed state? 


Fred Miller:  Each of the senses are used as a point of focus.  Something as simple
as holding a talisman or popping a LifeSaver into your mouth and keeping your focus on
the touch or the taste of that object for a few seconds will help change your perspective 
and will be a retreat from the anxiety. 


Dearest:  Can you share with us the story about your attempts to quit smoking and the stone 
you were given? 


Fred Miller:  I used smoking as a way to change my focus. I didn't know that was what
I was doing at the time.  When I was especially anxious, I would stop what I was doing
and focus on the cigarette and take 3 deep inhales. When I was finally able to quit
smoking, I found that 3 deep breaths worked just as well. 

The stone uses the sense of touch to divert myself from either having a cigarette or 
dwelling on the problem that was causing the anxiety. I hold the stone, focus my
attention there, and it changes my perspective on the problem.


Yolanda:  So, sitting still, breathing, being quiet and praying will help a hot flash? 


Fred Miller:  Absolutely 


Dearest:  I notice you're also a yoga teacher. How effective is yoga in treating anxiety? 
And, can you recommend a simple yoga technique we might try during the chat?


Fred Miller:  Yoga is one of the best treatments for anxiety.  It involves coordinating 
breath and movement. 

Inhale, lift your arms over your head 
Exhale, lower your arms
 
Do that one more time 

Inhale, lift your arms over your head 
Exhale, lower your arms 

Notice that with those simple movements, you've changed the way your body and mind feel. 


Dearest:  How long and how often do you recommend people use your breathing exercise?  


Fred Miller:  Five minutes in the morning, five minutes in the evening to create a habit 
of doing it and to establish consistency. Also, any time during the day. You don't have to 
limit to 5 minutes - sometimes 2 minutes, sometimes 7 minutes. If you get caught up in it, 
it could be 15 minutes. 

When I first started looking for a way to calm down, I read a book by a doctor who said I 
had to be able to sit quietly for 45 minutes or I would get no success from the program.
Had I been able to sit quietly for 45 minutes, I would not have needed him, his book or
his program. I needed to learn to be able to sit quietly for 5 minutes, and I couldn't do 
that. 

There are over a dozen exercises in my book, because sometimes I need 6 different exercises 
to get me through 3 minutes of sitting quietly. Some days, I go from one exercise to the 
next.  Other days, I can sit, monitoring my breath for many minutes. 

I'm not a Type A, I'm a type AA, A++ with a very active mind. I needed all the tricks I 
could find to help me calm down. That's why there are dozens of exercises in my book. 
I know you won't like them all, but there are enough to get anyone started. 


Dearest:  Regarding this doctor, is that what you mean in your book when you say that where 
many books on relaxation fall short is that they "...ask you to believe in someone else's 
way of doing things?" 


Fred Miller:  Yes, it is. Many of the books that I read had something in common with 
organized religion. They said that their way was the one and only way. I didn't find one
way that worked for me. 

Consequently, there are dozens of different exercises/tricks in my book so that everyone 
will find at least one thing that they're willing to try. 


Jane25:  This takes your mind off the hot flash the breathing, sitting still. etc? 


Fred Miller:  Yes, it does. Focus on your breath rather than the hot flash. 


Dearest:  This is an horrifically stressful time in our country -- in our world! Anxiety
is at epidemic levels. I've practiced breathing / relaxation exercise for years. Do you 
believe that following these breathing/relaxation exercises can help "severe" anxiety?


Fred Miller:  Yes, I do. And I believe that adding a spiritual practice will be of even 
greater benefit. 


NancyV:  Does doing the technique help the rest of the time in that you are practiced, so
to speak? 


Fred Miller:  Practicing a few times a day begins to create a new default setting.
When something goes wrong, rather than moving toward anxiety, you will have a habit of 
stopping, taking 3 deep breaths, and feeling your breath, all of which will take about
15 seconds and you will have a new perspective on the situation. 


Nitai:  Do you think using this technique could help lower slightly elevated blood pressure? 


Fred Miller:  Absolutely, it's medically proven. 


JRS:  Many people equate yoga to contortionism. Can you help dispel this misconception? 


Fred Miller:  Yoga has nothing with contortionism. Yoga, by definition of the ancient 
masters, is about quieting and in a positive way, controlling your mind. The physical 
postures comprise approximately 2% of what is yoga. 


Marlo:  I do breathing exercises because I did have anxiety attacks. They went away. 
Sometimes they come back when I'm nervous. After I heard the President tonight, I was
thinking about war, but it didn't let it bother me.  Also if you recite something when
you breathe that helps too. Right? 


Fred Miller:  Yes, it does.  Try a prayer or affirmation, anything that soothes and
calms you, anything that is sacred or holy to you.  Continue to create the spiritual anchor 
in your heart and it will establish emotional security and alleviate fear and anxiety. 


Dearest:  Would you say, as a result of your breathing, relaxation strategies, yoga, et al, 
that you are no longer a type A personality? 


Fred Miller:  I am still a type A personality but I rarely react or fly off the handle, 
that is typical of so many Type A personalities.  I am still a positive thinking person, 
appropriately aggressive and an extroverted personality.  All of these wind up in a positive 
way. 


Dearest:  So, would you agree that it's not so much what happens to us in life, but how we 
react to it that matters most? 


Fred Miller:  Most definitely. 


Jane25:  I agree 100% with these lowering blood pressure.  I'm proof that they work.  


Fred Miller:  Thank you, Jane! 


NufOne:  Can certain Breathing Techniques help one lose weight/tone up? (moving stomach 
muscles by breathing?) 


Fred Miller:  Yes, they can. Proper breathing exercises will do you more good in the
long run than all the vitamins you swallow.  Breathing will take your focus off of food. 
More importantly, it will help you take your focus off the situation that is driving you 
towards food. Many of us eat for comfort. Breath and prayer will bring you that comfort. 


NufOne:  Is the exercise in your book?  Or how to breath properly? 


Fred Miller:  No, there's no specific stomach exercise in the book. That should only
be learned from a very experienced teacher. 

My future book is Yoga for Common Aches and Pains and it will contain some of the deeper 
breathing and muscle exercises. 


SusanT:  Do you feel that there is an natural or herbal substance that can help us if we
are phobic or anxious to help calm us as a prophylactic and/or as needed? 


Fred Miller:  I don't know. 


SusanT:  OK, honest answer. 


Dearest:  Fred, thank you for a stimulating and informative chat about breathing exercises 
and strategies we can use to remain calm during difficult times. I recommend everyone get
a copy of "How To Calm Down." It's a quick read, but chock-a-block full of excellent 
suggestions.
 


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Dearest
aka Alice Stamm
Power Surge
Founder, Facilitator, Host


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