Who thinks about their breathing? From the moment we are born till the day we die, breathing is always with us. It is an unconscious process that is directed by the autonomous nerve system. You don’t have to think about it, but the beauty is that when you do, you will be able to change many things in your daily life.
When we feel stressed, are upset or experience other extreme emotions, our breathing changes accordingly. By learning how to control your breathing, you liberate yourself from external factors dictating your breathing and emotional state. You can choose how you will react in intense situations, and avoid health problems like chronic stress and adrenal fatigue.
So How Can You Improve Your Breathing?
Here are three exercises you can practice every day, that will you relax your mind and your body, and give you space for clarity in your daily life:
1
BREATHE WITH FOCUS
When you notice you are tense of feel stressed, there is a simple technique to relax your breathing and with it your whole self. It works as follows:
- Breathe in deep, count silently to 4
- Hold your breath for 4 counts
- Slowly breathe out for 8 counts
- Repeat this 4 times, and longer if it feels good
Make sure your breaths are deep and relaxed. Imagine your breath reaching far down, even under your navel. Keep your shoulders low and loose. Close off the exercise by smiling. It will give you positive energy and keep the breathe low. If you are not used to this much oxygen, and start feeling dizzy, stop.
2
BREATHE WITH YOUR BELLY
This exercise will have an instant relaxing effect. Practice it every day for a couple of minutes, and after some weeks you might notice you start breathing this way all the time.
- Lie down on your back, stretch your legs out, a little apart.
- Point your feet slightly outward
- Lie your arms along your body with the palms up
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath
- Breathe in and out through your nose
- Lay a hand on the area in your body that moves up and down with your breathing
- If that area is your chest, try and move your breath lower
- Lay both hands on your belly, feel how it rises with every intake, and lowers with every outtake of breath
If its difficult to breathe from your belly, focus first on breathing out. Then breathe in, hold for a couple of seconds, and breathe out as long and complete as you can, The next breath will flow into your belly more easily.
3
BREATHE VISUALLY
This is a fun breathing exercise for those of you who are more visually oriented. It trains you to breathe 6 times per minute. By practicing this every day for 5 minutes, you will feel more relaxed, sleep better and have more energy!
- Watch the video below. Breathe in when the ball comes up, and out when it comes down.
Visual Breathing Exercise
These exercises for breathing will help you relax and have a deep cleansing effect on your body and spirit. Start today with your own breathing therapy, and let me know how it turned out for you!
One last thing…what about the air itself?
Breathing is such an essential part of our life, you might consider improving the quality of air you (and your family!) takes in every day. In our family we had some problems with allergies (pet dander and mytes) . My father in law suggested to try out an airpurifier, which we did. Though the effect took a while to be noticeable, I can’t imagine living without one!
So if you feel that the quality of air could use an upgrade in your home, make sure to check out the diffent types of purifiers available. Don’t forget to do your research (start with some air purifier reviews, because every family and the area/home they live in is different!