Are you getting tired too early in your workout? Do your muscles feel tense even when you’re not exercising? Is your mind over stimulated with uncontrollable thoughts? Welcome to the club. We all have these issues. But wait – there’s hope! Just BREATHE. I know, you’re rolling your eyes disbelievingly even though I’d already given you a hint in the title. Or, more likely, because I gave you the answer and it sounds ridiculous. But there actually is a lot of truth to this simple tool. For instance, when you stretch, try breathing slowly and deeply. You’ll probably find that your muscles will give a little bit more. By breathing you feed your body oxygen which allows it to do what it’s supposed to do: live. And when we breathe more consciously (on purpose) there are a multitude of other things that can happen too. We become more aware of the present moment which can dispel those random thoughts and allow us to concentrate on what’s important right now, such as the pirouette or the tour jeté or the test at school. A win/win, right? So – let’s do it. When in doubt, BREATHE! You’ll be glad you did.