Breathing Exercises

In the last post, we saw how how important breathing is. In fact, the American Medical Students Association website says Using and learning proper breathing techniques is one of the most beneficial things that can be done for both short and long term physical and emotional health.

But how? There are breathing exercises you can learn to improve your mental and physical health. Below are just a few.

The first technique is abdominal breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing. When you contract your diaphragm muscle, its downward force causes your abdomen to expand and your lungs to fill with air. The resultant negative pressure pulls blood into the chest, improving your stamina. Abdominal breathing also helps prevent infection, and it’s a great relaxation tool.

Abdominal Breathing Technique

• Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply. The hand on your abdomen should rise higher than your chest hand.
• Exhale through your mouth. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose while you imagine sucking in all the air in the room. Hold it for a count of seven (or as long as you can without exceeding seven.)
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of eight while contracting your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from the lungs. (Note: You deepen respirations not by inhaling more air but through completely exhaling it.)
• Repeat the cycle four more times for a total of five deep breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one breath every ten seconds (or six breaths per minute). At this rate our heart rate variability increases, which has a positive effect on cardiac health.

As soon as you have the technique down, you c

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an add positive affirmation words to the exercise. For instance, you can think calm as you inhale (inviting calm into your body) and stress as you exhale (expelling stress from your body with your breath).

Using breathing exercises to increase energy

If practiced over time, the abdominal breathing exercise can result in improved energy throughout the day, but sometimes we are in need of a quick pick-me-up. You should use the Bellows breathing technique (also called stimulating breath) when you feel fatigued and need revitalization — for instance, when you’re on a long road trip or when you’ve been sitting at your desk staring a computer for hours. One word of caution: bellows breathing is not a substitute for abdominal breathing but is a tool to increase energy when needed.

Bellows breathing is the opposite of abdominal breathing, using short, fast, rhythmic breaths to increase energy, which are similar to the “chest” breathing we do when under stress. The bellows breath stimulates the adrenal glands, the same response when you’re under stress and need a boost of energy.

The Bellows Breathing Technique (The Stimulating Breath)

• Sit with your spine straight in a comfortable upright position.
• Breathe in and out of your nose as quickly as possible with your mouth closed. Shoot for two-three breaths per second. Visualize using a bicycle pump (a bellows) to quickly inflate a tire. The upstroke is inspiration and the downstroke is exhalation and both are equal in length.
• This exercise will strengthen muscles in your neck, chest and abdomen.
• Do this for no longer than 15 seconds when first starting. With practice, slowly increase the length of the exercise by five seconds each time. Do it as long as you are comfortably able, not exceeding one full minute.
• There is a risk for hyperventilation that can result in loss of consciousness if this exercise is done too much in the beginning, so practice it in a safe place such as a bed or chair.