According to local author and hypnotherapist Mark Stephens, who first learned to meditate as an eight-year-old with chronic asthma, it is certainly possible.

"Meditation and self-hypnosis when used together becomes a powerful tool for overcoming some of life's biggest challenges, and it's easier than you might think," Mark says.

Mark, in his new ground-breaking book, Mind Free, shares his unique combination of mindfulness, meditation and hypnotherapy - mindful self-hypnosis - a method developed over decades that greatly helps to improve quality of life.

The Mind Free method teaches you how to heal your mind and emotions in order to: put yourself in control of negative thoughts, break bad habits, sleep eight hours a night, and overcome years of stress and anxiety.

"The combination of mindfulness and hypnotherapy enables anyone to enter a deeper state of relaxation than typical hypnotherapy practices," the author said.

"Hypnotherapy advances mindfulness practices to new levels by enabling the practitioners to focus on an obstacle they want to overcome and the specific result they would like to achieve."

Mind Free includes empowering self-hypnosis scripts and meditations, key lessons, and inspiring case studies of real people who have used these techniques to achieve amazing results.

This life-changing guide will help you use the power of your mind to transform your life from the inside out.

Mind Free is now available from Harbour Bookshop Ulladulla and Dymocks Nowra, or for more information visit www.mindfreeapp.com

Stephens runs seminars at his South Coast based Little Forest Health Retreat.

1. With your eyes open or closed, watch, feel or listen to your breath falling naturally in and out of your body in its own rhythm.

2. Add an affirmation. As you slowly breathe in, repeat the first half of the affirmation, and as you exhale, repeat the second half of the affirmation. Consider including affirmations such as: I feel at peace. I am at peace.

3. When you notice your mind wandering, bring your attention back to your breathing and your affirmation.

Mark, in his new book, for the first time reveals 50 years of lessons he learned while training under Tibetan monks, Japanese masters, Chinese tai chi masters, and western teachers.

According to Mark, who has been practicing various forms of meditation for that time, there are literally thousands of ways to meditate.

Yoga breathing, visualisation, and mantra meditations are just a few of the methods used in his eclectic collection of personal development strategies.

"Simply take a slow deep breath all the way in, hold your breath for a moment and slowly exhale. Repeat for three slow breaths. When your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breathing. This is meditation," he said.

"Me time is so important," he says. "Without it, we become like a pressure cooker with no release valve. Taking a few minutes throughout the day to meditate, to breathe consciously, and to be mindful, greatly reduces stress."

Mark, who first learnt to meditate as an eight-year-old, knows first-hand the dangers of stress and anxiety.

"As a child, I had chronic asthma and every time my parents argued I would have an asthma attack," he said.

"The worse the argument, the worse the attack. Stress was a major trigger for my asthma." Rushed to the hospital many times when he was unable to breathe, mark was eventually introduced to yoga breathing and meditation through the hospital.

From the age of eight, Mark began learning meditation and yoga breathing to help control his severe asthma attacks.

Mark is a Jujutsu Black Belt, tai chi teacher, meditation expert and hypnotherapist. In 1990 he was given a possible six months to live with a rapidly growing second-stage lymphoma.

To regain his health, Mark used a wide variety of eastern healing methods and complementary treatments combined with the best of western medicine. He is dedicated to sharing his decades of experience to improve the lives of others.

Mark is well-loved by the Australian media for his years of experience and expertise on this subject. He has appeared on TV more than 100 times, including prime-time current affairs programs and news, and he appears regularly across the mainstream media including online, print, radio, and podcasts.

"Where Mark Stephens' skill is concerned, this once cynical reporter is cynical no more. Over decades, I have seen him transform people's lives. I can honestly say he has saved people's lives. And the culmination of his lifetime's work is now in this book to help all," Senior Reporter - A Current Affair, Channel 9 Brady Halls said

The tai chi and meditation teacher has developed his Mind Free method based on decades of practice, and through hundreds of workshops at his Little Forest Health Retreat.

"In the Mind Free book, I've done my absolute best to duplicate what I do in seminars, retreats and private therapy," said Stephens.