Health&Wellness Magazine May 2015 | Page 13

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April 2015

About the Author
Dr. Patterson is past president of
the Kentucky Academy of Family
Physicians and is board certified
in family medicine and integrative
holistic medicine. He is on the family practice faculty at the University
of Kentucky College of Medicine
and the University of Louisville
School of Medicine, Saybrook
University’s School of Mind Body
Medicine and School of Clinical
Psychology in San Francisco and
the Center for Mind Body Medicine
in Washington, D.C. He operates
the Mind Body Studio in Lexington,
where he offers integrative medicine
consultations. He can be reached
through his Web site at www.mindbodystudio.org

cultivate a friendlier relationship
with your thoughts and emotions.
Techniques such as soft belly meditation can help you see every aspect
of your life more clearly and calmly
and feel more in control. Practicing
these techniques when you are not
feeling overwhelmed can help you
better master your physical, mental
and emotional responses at difficult
times.
Remember – to master any skill
requires practice, practice, practice.

you might say to yourself “soft” as
you breathe in and “belly” as you
breathe out. When you find your
attention distracted by thoughts,
emotions, sounds or physical sensations, simply bring your attention back to the belly.
Even one minute of “soft belly”
breathing can help calm a busy
mind. Devoting five or 10 minutes
without interruption helps develop skillful practice. Over time,
you can extend the practice to suit
your schedule and your needs,
aiming for two or three times a
day. Traditionally, these prac-

tices are recommended for 15-20
minutes before the morning and
evening meals. Using a timer with
a very quiet alarm may help you
manage your time. Practicing soft
belly at bedtime can help you fall
asleep. With regular practice, you
will have a new self-care tool for
use in times of stress – breathing
in “soft,” breathing out “belly.”
Practiced regularly, practices
like soft belly meditation can help
manage stress-related chronic disease symptoms, improve immune
functioning, decrease pain and
anxiety, improve mood and

Resources
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction
Workbook by Davis, Eshelman,
McKay

Remember – to master any
skill requires practice, practice,
practice.

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