Body and Soul

"The Art of Living improves the quality of life by using different techniques to calm the mind and eliminate stress," said 28-year-old Julia Tang, who taught the Art of Living course at the University that finished in early February. "We use only about 30 percent of our lung capacity, but over 90 percent of the toxins are released through the breath. By increasing our lung capacity, we can more effectively expel toxins from our system."

By using these breathing techniques, the thoughts racing through the mind that lead to stress are calmed.

"The quality of our life is determined by the state of our mind," Tang said. "Our mind has the tendency to oscillate like a pendulum between the past and the future. The more the mind vacillates, the more stress accumulates in our nervous system. The course brings our mind into the present moment. It stills the pendulum to the center - to the present moment, which is where all the joy is."