Do you know how to breathe?

There are many different breathing exercises. To get the most benefit, breathing exercises should be practiced every day, preferably not immediately after eating or on an empty stomach. 

Abdominal Breathing Technique

  • Breathing exercises such as this one should be done twice a day or whenever you find yourself under stress, your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts, or when you are experiencing pain.
  • Abdominal breathing is just one of the many breathing exercises, but it is the most important one to learn before exploring other techniques.
  • The more it is practiced, the more natural it will become, improving your mind and body’s internal balanced rhythm.

Here’s how to do it correctly

  1. Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen.
  1. Take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This ensures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs.

After exhaling through your mouth,

  1. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose, allowing your mind to focus on the undersurface of the nose where the air enters the body.
  1. Inhale for a count of 4.
  1. Slowly exhale for a count of 6-8. As all the air is released with exhalation, gently contract your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air in your lungs.

It is important to remember that we deepen respirations by completely exhaling air, rather than inhaling more of it.

TIPS:

  • In general, exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation.
  • A rate of one full breath (inhalation and exhalation) every 10 seconds (for a total of 6 breaths per minute) has been found to be most helpful for stabilizing the nervous system and reducing blood pressure.
  • The use of the hands on the chest and abdomen is needed only to help you train your breathing.
  • Once you feel comfortable with your ability to breathe into your abdomen, you no longer need to place your hands on your chest and abdomen.
  • After you feel comfortable with this technique, you may want to include words that can enhance the exercise.

 

Basically, you are breathing in with the good and out with the bad

Examples:

In with:                 Out with:
Relaxation            Stress
Peace                     Anger
Love                       Hate
Joy                        Worry
Kindness               Stinginess
Faith                     Fear
Patience                Impatience

REMEMBER:

THE EXHALE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE INHALE

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This