Alexandra Patricia
Unlike our heart beating, breathing is something we can control, that fact must tell us something if we learn how to control our breathing which should be good for our mind and body.
The primary role of breathing is to absorb oxygen and breathing nourish cells in our body with oxygen and nutrients. This increases blood energy, lower stress, reduces blood pressure and tension, and of course, it’s used in practices such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation.
Let’s picture in this way, I was so stressed because I needed to deliver a document in my work but, the information got deleted. So instead of crying, I thought and told myself “Breathe, count to ten and you’ll figure it out”. After a couple of minutes, I remembered the document was saved in a different USB, and I was able to print it and deliver it on time.
If it wasn’t because I took the time to manage my feelings by breathing, my mind wouldn’t have the clarity to think and resolve.
And probably, you’ve experienced any kind of situation where you let your feelings control you and the solution gets blurry, but whenever we try to calm us down with the exercise of breathing, our body and mind start working together.
Being stressed maintains your immune system for working at its full capacity and this can make you more susceptible which can cause chronic stress. Simple and everyday life situations such as traffic, weather, issues with friends can be the cause of depression or anxiety.
How breathing can help us? Isn’t it something that we all do every day?
Yes, breathing is something that we all do conscienceless and that’s the point. When we control our breathing and we inhale to bring fresh air and exhale to get gases out of our lungs, which makes our diaphragm and our lungs healthier.
Also, breathing exercises help us in forcing out the air buildup in our lungs, promotes how much oxygen is in our blood, and strengthen our diaphragm.
All of these help us to boost our body’s ability to tolerate exercises and boost our core muscle stability, It also helps in lowering our heart rate and our rate of breathing so we can spend less energy.
It’s an easy form to maintain our body and mind healthy, we just need to practice it and be more conscious about it.
Learn to Breathe like a Yogi
Breathing is the core in Yoga practice, it helps you to connect with your body and mind during the practice and learn to influence your breathing can transform your well-being and maximize the benefits you get from Yoga.
Let’s Start with the Basics
- Lie on your back with your head resting on a block. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Lie your arms down by your sides, palms facing upwards, and close your eyes.
- Take a couple of deep breaths in through your nose and then, exhale through your mouth, releasing tensions when you breathe out. Let your mind calm down.
- Pay attention to your breath and breathing patterns. How is it? Is it fast or slow? Shallow or deep?
- Place one of your hands on your front lower ribs at the top of your belly. See if you can feel your diaphragm rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale.
- Take your hands to your ribs. When you inhale, notice if you can feel any movement beneath your hands.
- Slide your left hand up to rest over your breastbone. Notice how your hand moves when you take a few and slow deep breaths.
- Now begin to direct your breath, first breathing into your belly, then your ribs, and finally your chest. When exhale, reverse the process, emptying your breath from your chest, then your ribs, and lastly, your belly. Continue with a few slow breaths and gently, let your breathing return to normal.
How are you feeling? Good, right? Try to do these exercises on a daily basis and you’ll spend your day feeling relax and nothing will beat you up.
