Deep Breath: Advantages of Deep Breathing and Some Deep Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises help release tension and get rid of many health problems. Also, you should be aware of your breathing and avoid wrong way of breathing to stay away from various health ailments. Although it is very easy to learn breathing techniques it takes months to practice and realize the actually benefits of breathing properly.

Deep breathing exercises can reduce stress levels, reduce panic and fear and helps you think clearly. Deep breath stimulates parasympathetic nervous system which slows down the heart rate. Apparently breathing can lower high blood pressure too.

Here are some deep breathing exercises that you can include in your daily workout routine:

1. Abdominal respiration:

•  Inspiration: Inhale slowly, directing the air towards the abdomen. You will notice that the abdomen is filled up due to the air pressure on the diaphragm.
•  Initial exhalation: Exhale fully many times, in a slow and prolonged way, trying to expel all the air from your interior.
• Profound exhalation: After many repetitions, you will notice that you inhale more deeply and that the breathing centres in the abdomen; then when you exhale, pronounce the sound of mantra ‘om’ loudly. This will help make exhalation more slower and more continuous.

 

2. Rib cage respiration: 

• Preparation: It is good to do this exercise seated and relax in order to be able to vacate the lungs properly and to contract the abdomen.
• Inhalation: Keep the abdomen contracted. And inhale more slowly. You will notice that the air fills your lungs and the ribs expand covering the ribcage zone. This exercise needs more effort than abdominal respiration requires.
•  Exhalation: Let the air comes out in a very slow and continuous manner. You will notice that first the ribcage zone is vacated and then the lungs. Contract the diaphragm slowly in order to expel the rest of the air from the abdomen.

3. Clavicular respiration:

• Preparation: Sit in a relaxed posture. Contract the muscles of the abdomen and the thorax as much as you can, even putting pressure on them with your hands.
• Inhalation: Raise the collor bone with shoulders backwards. Keep the pressure on the trunk and slowly inhale as much air as you can. You will see that it is not much but its location engenders a feeling of fullness during breathing.
• Exhalation: Let the air comes out slowly, and then relax the muscular pressure on the trunk in order to expel rest of the air from the abdomen.

 

4. Complete respiration:

It is a combination of the three exercises explained above. It aims to clean up and fortify your body and to stimulate mental energy.
But in this case, you must start with breathing out.

• Deep breathing out: Vacate your lungs completely, pressurizing first the abdomenand then the chest.
• Successive inhalation: Slowly collect some air, relaxing the diaphragm in order to fill the abdomen. Then expand the chest to fill up coastal area completely. After which, raise your collar bone in order to inhale some more air if possible. Retain the air for a moment and exhale slowly.