Do you feel under pressure or over worked? There are many ways in which you can find calm without spending money on a massage. All you need is a pair of healthy lungs to breathe. Here are a few breathing exercises that will help you to relax.
5 Basic Breathing Exercises For A Healthy Life
1. Abdominal Breathing
How to do?
- Keep on hand on the belly and the other hand on the chest.
- Breathe in deeply through the nose and make sure that your diaphragm inflates with sufficient air for stretching the lungs.
- Take 6-10 deep and slow breaths.
Number of Repetitions: Do this for 10 minutes every day.
How it Helps: It causes an immediate reduction in blood pressure and the heart rate. The exercise works best when you are stressed.
[ Read: Benefits of Deep Breathing Exercises ]
2. Kapalabhati
How to do?
- Sit straight and star with low and slow breathing.
- Follow this up with a powerful and quick exhale which is generated from the lower belly.
- When you get comfortable, speed it to one inhaling-exhaling every 1-2 seconds for 10 breaths in total.
Number of Repetitions: Do this for 10 breaths.
How it Helps: It shakes up the stale energy of your body and helps in waking up the brain.
[ Read: Easy Exercises to Strengthen the Diaphragm ]
3. Nadi Shodhana
How to do?
- Sit in a comfortable meditative position and hold your thumb over the nostril.
- Inhale deep from the left. When you are at the peak of your inhaling, close the left nostril using the ring finger.
- Exhale through the right nostril.
- Continue by inhaling through right, closing with the right thumb and them exhaling through left.
Number of Repetitions: Do this for 2 minutes.
How it Helps: It can bring in balance and calm by uniting the right and the left side of the brain.
[ Read: 5 Best Yoga Asanas for Healthy Liver ]
4. Sama Vritti
How to do?
- Inhale counting four and then exhale as you count four.
- Do this through the nose as it builds a natural resistance to your breath.
- When you are comfortable, go for 60-8 counts per breath with the same goal in mind.
Number of Repetitions: Do this for 1 minute.
How it Helps: This breathing exercise can calm down your nervous system, reduce stress, and increase focus. It can take your mind off all racing thoughts.
[ Read: 5 Yoga Poses to Improve Your Posture ]
5. Pursed Lip Breathing
How to do?
- Start by inhaling through the nose.
- Concentrate on how the belly is filled up with air.
- Place your hands lightly on the stomach or just place a tissue box on the stomach. This way will be aware of the belly falling and rising.
- Breathe out twice as long as the mouth with the lips pursed.
- The neck and shoulder should be relaxed.
Number of Repetitions: To this 30-60 seconds.
How it Helps: As more air flows in through the lungs, it keeps you active.
Even though these exercises might appear to be simple, it might take you some time to master it. So, try them when you are breathing okay and when you are comfortable. While frustration and stress will be there, the good thing is so will your breath.
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