“Meditation can develop our coping skills and increase our serenity…It does a better job of calming us down than any other substance we can put in our bodies. It can reduce stress and promote peace of mind.”

– Beginning Meditation: An Approach to Step 11, MA pamphlet

When I was smoking, the only time I would take a deep, long breath was when I’d get home from work and take the first hit off my pipe or joint. The day’s stress would leave me and my evening would begin, or so I thought. When I finally stopped smoking, I did not know what to do with my stress, then I remembered all the meditation and yoga classes I had attended while high during my smoking years.

All the teachings which focused on the breath, breathing deeply and to the back of my ribs were helpful. This, as well as attending meetings with the literature and phone calls, helped to prevent me from totally freaking out in my first few months. It made me deal with my stress.

It has now become such a part of me that I automatically breathe deeply when I enter into stressful situations. One of the great gifts of my recovery has been the ability to take long relaxing breaths and learning how to soothe myself, something which I was not taught in my childhood home or at school. Another positive effect from stopping smoking is that my sense of smell has returned. I can walk around my neighborhood and through the local parks and woods and smell the beautiful natural smells of the roses and trees. This brings me back to nature and reminds me of my Higher Power’s creation. I now look to my Higher Power to show me or remind me how to relax.

Final thought: Stop. Breathe in for a count of seven and out for a count of eleven.