Breathing exercises and autogenic phrases

Assume a comfortable position. Keep the body still. Do not strain the lungs by exhaling or inhaling more deeply than is comfortable. The capacity of the lungs and the control of the breath will increase as you progress.
Take five slow, full breath, exhaling and inhaling through both nostrils. Then begin "equalized" breathing.

Equalized or even breathing:
Exhale and inhale through both nostrils slowly and smoothly, and no pause between the exhalations and inhalations. Concentrate attention on the flow of breath past the space between the nostrils. If the mind wanders, bring it back to the space between the nostrils. Continue for four minutes. Breathe slowly, but not so slowly that the diaphragm jerks in order to get more air into the lungs.
Now forget the breathing entirely and focus attention on the autogenic exercises for quieting the body (low muscle tension), quieting the emotions (warmth in the hands), and quieting the mind (inward-turned attention).

Quiet the body:
Take time to visualize, imagine, and feel the relaxation of each part of the body as you silently repeat the phrases; then just "let it happen:"
I feel quite quiet..I am beginning to feel quite relaxed...My feet, my ankles, my knees and my hips feel heavy, relaxed and comfortable...The whole central portion of my hody feels relaxed and quiet...My hands, my arms, and my shoulders feel heavy, relaxed and comfortable...My neck, my jaws, and my forehead feel relaxed. They feel comfortable and smooth...My whole body feels quiet, comfortable, and relaxed...

Quiet the emotions:
As you remain comfortable and relaxed, use the following phrases in the same manner as above, visualizing, imagining and feeling the warmth:
My arms and hands are heavy and warm... I feel quite quiet... my arms and hands are relaxed, relaxed and warm... My hands are warm... Warmth is flowing into my hands, they are warm... warm... My hands are warm... Relaxed and warm.
 
Quiet the mind and turn attention inward:
On each phrase imagine and feel the quietness in the withdrawal of the attention inward:
I feel quite quiet... my mind is quiet... I withdraw my thoughts from the surroundings and I feel serene and still... Deep within myself I can visualize and experience myself as relaxed, comfortable and still... I am alert but in easy, quiet, and inward-turned way... My mind is calm and quiet... I feel an inward quietness...
Maintain the inward quiteness for about two minutes. Reactivate by taking 5 slow, full breaths. Stretch and feel energy flowing through your body.