Quick question...

Is your breath shallow? Could it be deeper? Are you holding your breath?

Okay, that was three questions... but if you answered YES to any of them, then there's something very important you need to do.

Stop what you're doing right now and push all the rest of the air out of your lungs.

See, the lungs work like a vacuum pump. If you exhale completely, the inhale is automatic. I was just reminded of this by a massage therapist earlier today.

If you are like so many people in our culture, then you don't get enough breath through your system – and over time, this affects everything from your digestion to your nervous system to your musculature. Rather than trying to remember to breathe deeper, instead just try asking yourself one of those above questions, as often as you can remember. And every time you get a YES, just exhale completely. That's all. Push all the air out, and resume computing. Or walking. Or talking. Or cooking. Or whatever. 

It's all about the exhale. Ahhhhhh.