Ted Cruz is selling branded yoga mats after telling fellow candidate Donald Trump to "breathe, breathe, breathe" during a Republican debate on Thursday.

Trump interrupted Cruz during the televised battle as he was praising George W Bush. Cruz then implored the frontrunner to relax:

"I am Ted," Trump responded as Cruz coaxed him again: "Breathe, breathe."

Fellow candidate Marco Rubio then asked the moderators if he might speak "when they're done with the yoga".

Following the debate Cruz tweeted that his specially branded "breathe" yoga mats would shortly be available to buy online.

The Texas senator is now hoping to raise funds with his campaign by offering the mats for sale. The $35 mats are available to pre-order on his website and would be shipped at the end of March.

Other Cruz branded merchandise on offer include phone cases, bags and grill spatulas

Marco Rubio jokingly offered "#DumpTrump" yoga pants on his online store as he solicited $10 donations to his campaign.

The debate took a bizarre twist later in the evening**,** with Donald Trump holding up his hands and making less-than oblique references to the size of his private areas.

Republican candidate Ben Carson has since announced he is quitting the race.