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Yoga has many benefits, ranging from flexibility to relaxation. But now CafeMom tells us that yoga can also reduce asthma symptoms.

A recent study had participants with asthma try yoga for 2.5 hours a week. The participants focused on holding the different poses for one minute at a time and really concentrating on breathing. After 10 weeks, participants noted a reduction in their asthma symptoms, and some were able to cut back on medication.

Want to learn more? Check out yoga on AOL Health and learn how it can help you get a better bikini body, strengthen your core and more.

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Fitz always tells us we need to huff and puff during our workouts -- it's how we know we're working to full potential. In the course of all your huffing and puffing, though, make sure you're not struggling to breathe. If you are, you might want to up your fiber intake.

Fiber-filled foods like bran won't give you the lung capacity of Michael Phelps, says RealAge, but it will help you breathe easier.

Fiber gives the lungs a leg up. In one study, people who ate 27 grams of fiber had better lung capacity than those who got 10 grams. They were also 15 percent less likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an irreversible condition that makes breathing difficult. Maybe it's that fiber protects the lungs by reducing inflammation. Perhaps the antioxidants found in fiber help protect lung cells. Could be both. So take a deep breath, and get your fiber fix now.

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Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the holiday season is in full swing. All the hustle and bustle of the season can start to feel quite stressful. To help keep your stress level in check, try dedicating some time each day to meditate. There's no need to say "oohhmm" and sit in the lotus position. You can lower your stress level with a few easy steps:

• Quiet place. Find a spot in your home or outside that's quiet and removed from other distractions.
  
• Music. Play some quiet, mellow music that helps you relax.
• Deep, full breathing. Breathe deeply and concentrate on your breathing.
• Focus. Your mind may wander, but as it does just refocus on your breathing -- this isn't a time to sort through your thoughts, this is a time to recenter yourself and clear your mind of the daily stressors.

Take 10 minutes each day to meditate and you'll see your stress levels reduce. Remember, exercising, eating healthfully, and getting proper amounts of sleep will also help you manage stress.

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'Tis the season for bloating. Starting with the onslaught of Halloween candy and ending -- hopefully -- with a New Year's celebration, many of us are about to eat, drink, party, indulge, and ditch our dutiful exercise routines. We'll be stuffed, stretched, filled to the brim, and -- yuck! -- bloated. I hate that.

On any given day, women are especially vulnerable to bloating, because gastrointestinal ills occur up to six times more often in women than in men, say the experts at Redbook magazine. Give us girls some holiday cheer, and the tummy troubles really ramp up. We can minimize the stress on our systems, though, by understanding why we bloat and how we can prevent those bothersome bulges. Check out these three thoughts.

• Holiday over-do in progress. Raise your hand if you over-do it at holiday meals. Many of us do, with hard-to-digest, rich, fatty foods -- gravy, stuffing, pie with whipped cream, even peppermint -- which cause indigestion. Redbook says you should ease your symptoms with an antacid such as Pepto-Bismol, Maalox, Tums, or Rolaids. I say head this stomach stuff off by avoiding the over-do. If you simply must indulge, make it small -- think you can succeed at the three-bite rule? Also, keep your body upright for a few hours after a feast, instead of curling up for a nap.
• More eggnog and hot cocoa, please. If your belly aches and bulges after these treats, it's probably because you can't tolerate lactose, the main sugar in dairy products. The trick for a settled stomach is to find your own lactose limit and respect it. You can also opt for lactose-reduced milk.
• Belly up to the bar. Besides the overload of calories you'll consume by knocking back too many cocktails this season, you'll likely be left with a bad hangover after an alcoholic indulgence. And maybe a scary condition called acute pancreatitis, caused by an excess of alcohol. One symptom is bloating -- others include pain in the upper abdomen that worsens and wraps around your back. See a doctor right away if this occurs. A better option than alcohol -- since we women don't tolerate alcohol as well as men -- is sparkling water. It's better for the diet overall.
  

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Recent research shows -- believe it or not -- that sweat and airway secretion are linked. For people who have exercise-induced asthma, dryness in their airways can trigger asthma symptoms. Increased airway secretions can minimize or prevent symptoms during exercise.

Study participants were given medications to induce asthma symptoms and/or sweating. Obviously, the average Joe can't pop a pill to increase sweat production. And honestly, who would want to? So while researchers still work out the practical applications of this knowledge, follow these tips from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:

• Try swimming -- the warm, humid atmosphere reduces the risk of symptoms.
• If you want to play team sports, opt for those -- like baseball -- that have short bursts of intense activity rather than continuous movement.
• In cold weather, wear a scarf or mask over your mouth and nose to warm the inhaled air.

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It isn't brand-new news that obesity can worsen asthma symptoms. Previous research has indicated that obesity can cause more severe symptoms for people with asthma. New research expands on that fact and shows that people who are obese and have asthma are more than five times as likely to be hospitalized for their symptoms.

Sometimes I wonder why we need a funded study to tell us these things. I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, and I'm not a researcher, but it seems relatively obvious to me that obesity could potentially exacerbate asthma symptoms.

If you have asthma, maintaining a healthy weight is an important step you can take to protect your health. For tips on weight loss, check out AOL Health.

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I adopted my son from the US foster care system when he was 10-years-old. He has ADHD and often struggles with focus. He also has high anxiety and can get quite nervous in certain situations. One tool that helps him regain focus and composure is taking a few deep breaths. We face each other, look directly in each others' eyes and take a deep breath in... and out. He usually says "one more, Mom" and we continue until he's feeling in control again. The simple act helps to ground him, reduce his anxiety, and help him focus again. Breathing exercises can help everyone reduce stress and relax.

When you're faced with an abrupt, unexpected stressful situation (such as a car cutting you off in traffic or someone saying something offensive to you) take a moment to pause and breathe deeply before reacting. Those few seconds will calm you so you can respond appropriately and thoughtfully -- avoiding a hasty reaction you might regret later.

When you're faced with longer-lasting stress (such as a difficult deadline at work or ongoing problems with your significant other) make a regular practice of this breathing and stretching technique. It will imbibe your body with oxygen and help relieve stress.

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By now, we should all be aware of the importance of breathing. After all, it's what keeps us alive, right? So why is it that when we work out our hardest, we sometimes forget to breathe? That's when our bodies need it the most--when we're pushing our limits and challenging ourselves to the max.

So how's your breathing during your workout? For me, it's the weights that make me forget my breath. I take a weight-lifting class a few times a week and funny though it sounds, I usually need to be reminded by the instructor to breathe--otherwise I'll hold my breath until I get a short break. No wonder I get dizzy sometimes!

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Feeling a little sluggish these days? It could be due to a whole host of issues; from workplace stressors to a lack of sleep, feeling like you're carrying a 50-pound weight on your shoulders all day can really slow you down. To help pick you up a bit, try these five, easy ways to boost your energy.

1. Drink More Water. Dehydration is one of the most common energy zappers you can encounter. Start your day with a nice, tall glass of water and then sip regularly on a glass or bottle throughout the day.

2. Don't Overindulge. As you may or may not know, research shows that it takes somewhere around 20 minutes for your stomach to send the "I'm full!!" signal to your brain. Consequently, we oftentimes keep eating well past the point where we should have cut ourselves off. Limiting your portion sizes will help prevent this mind/stomach disconnect to affect your diet.

3. Breathe Deeply. When you wake up in the morning, take even a few seconds to inhale and exhale several deep, oxygen-rich breaths. If possible, take a few minutes and perform structured breathing techniques at various times of the day.

4. Stress Less. Step back and make a brutally honest assessment of your life and try to identify some stressors that you can afford to let go. Eliminate all expendable items, deadlines, and projects that are causing you undue grief or tension.

5. Adjust Your Diet. Energy-robbing simple sugars are most commonly the culprit in the American diet. Excessive amounts of bad fats are also to blame. Processed foods are typically higher in simple sugars and bad sources of fat, as well as harmful preservatives. Do your best to nosh on foods containing low-GI carbs and good sources of fat, as well as an ample supply of protein.

For some additional tips on how to boost your energy, click here to read an article on About.com

We have become a nation of screen watchers. Television screens, movie screens, computer screens, and even cell phone and iPod display screens. Hell, even when we go to concerts, we usually pay less attention to the actual performers on the stage and focus our intentions instead on their image on the jumbo screens. While much, if not almost all, of this serves a purpose, eye doctors suggest that all this 'screen time' is doing a number on our eyes.

Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, founder of Corporate Vision Consulting, suggests performing what he calls the 3B approach to keeping your eyes from aging prematurely: Blink, Breathe, and Break.

Blink more often. Our blink rate goes down from about 12-15 times per minute to about times as few when we stare at a screen.

Breathe. When faced with stress, we tend to hold our breath. This tension affects our eyes over time.

Break. Take about 10 seconds every 10 minutes to take a break. Ideally, you should try to get up and move around. But, if this isn't an option, at least spend that time staring off to something in the distance and keep your eyes moving.

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Hot flashes. Probably the most famous of all the menopause symptoms. But what if you could do away with them just by breathing a certain way? No pills, no hormones, just breathing.

It's called paced respiration, and the women who practice it can usually cut their number of hot flashes in half. Nobody really knows how or why this breathing technique works, but it does.

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FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I once sat in a job interview just after college and listened to two young employees talk about their boss. She has great balance, they said about the woman I might work for. A great supervisor, a super mom, a valued member of her profession, this woman had it all together. What I heard was compelling. It made me want the same. Now, 13 years later, I still want the same thing. Sometimes, I think I have it. Sometimes, the balls I'm juggling seem to be tumbling down around me.

Perhaps it's not so much about balancing everything all at once. Maybe it's more about working on one item at time. Building a solid foundation is necessary for any structure that follows to have stability, right? First things first. Take the human body. If we wish to have successful jobs, happy families, and rewarding lives, our immune systems must be in good working order. So before you try to keep your balls in the air, consider laying your own solid foundation. Here's how:

• Breathe. Learn to breathe properly for a healthy immune system.
• Eat. But only small, frequent meals.
• Sleep. Studies show women who sleep only six hours or less per night are 20 percent more likely to suffer heart problems.
• Dance. Rhythmic exercise is more beneficial to the immune system than other kinds of exercise.
• Love. It's the antidote for negative emotions. Find ways to cultivate love in your life.
• Relax. A calm environment is soothing for your immune system. Listening to music can modulate immune system response.
• Enhance.Take vitamins and supplements appropriate for you. Vitamin D is a good one -- it promotes immune-system health.

I never did get that job. But I got something from the interview that's kept me thinking for a long time now. For that, I am grateful.

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Some people experience it more than others, but I think most of us have gone through it at some point in our lives: that frustrating inability to get a deep breath when you're really nervous or anxious about something. This article I came across was published awhile ago, but it's got a great set of tips (complete with stick man illustrations!) on how to "reboot" your lungs and get over that annoying shallow breathing pattern we sometimes get stuck in.

If nervous breathing happens to you often how do you deal with it?

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Ready for a challenge? I've got one for you. Don't worry, you won't be alone as you conquer the feat I'm about to assign. I'll do it with you, and so will other readers -- won't you, readers?

You've got the whole day to complete your task. Get up early and get it over with, tackle it at lunch, make it an evening appointment. All that matters is that you do it. You'll feel better after you do. I promise.

And your homework is: Walk. Today, I want you to take a brisk, feel-it-in-your-butt, pump-those-arms power walk. Since I don't know your fitness level, I can't tell you how much to accomplish as you work that body. But I will say this: Push yourself. Sweat. Breathe heavily. Struggle a little.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

On June 21, hundreds of people celebrated the start of summer on the longest day of the year by commencing yoga class in a city marked by madness. Smack dab in New York City's Times Square, on the island at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, yoga enthusiasts rolled out their mats and set up shop for the annual Mind Over Madness Yoga event. This year's extravaganza was the largest ever.

The purpose of this yoga fest? To face the challenge of finding tranquility and transcendence in the midst of the world's most commercial and frenetic place.

If ever we all have something in common, it must be the desire to find calm in the midst of chaos. Who doesn't want to breathe easy, rid themselves of anxiety, and tackle life with a peaceful energy? It's human nature to seek serenity.

While summer is behind us and the madness of this official event is long over, it's not to late to pull out your own yoga mat. Take it to the center of your own town if this strikes your fancy. Or simply find a quiet place and strengthen your mind, body, and spirit with the 3,000-year-old practice that is good for every bit and piece of your soul.

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