Gwyneth Paltrow wants you to yawn correctly

Gwyneth Paltrow, left, and a cat with excellent yawning technique, right. Photos / AP, Thinkstock

Impolite as it may seem, you should never suppress a yawn, says Gwyneth Paltrow.

The actress turned lifestyle guru explained why in a post on her website Goop, inspired by a dinner conversation with "wonderful Yogi and important quarterback for mindfulness and meditation" Michael Lear.

"The reality is that it's a very important mechanism for releasing stress," she writes. "It feels good for a reason: Trust that your body knows how to calibrate itself."

The key to a good yawn, according to Lear, is to "really lean into it".

Here are Gwyneth's instructions for a perfect yawn:

- nzherald.co.nz