Beneficial breath

5 min read

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

This deep inhale-exhale technique lowers your heart rate and blood pressure

1 FIND A COMFORTABLE POSITION

Sit or lie down somewhere comfortable. You may also want to close your eyes to remove all distractions.

2 PLACE YOUR HANDS

Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Try to control your breathing so that during inhalation and exhalation only your bottom hand is moving.

3 INHALE FOR FOUR

Breathe in through your nose and focus on breathing deeply so that your abdomen expands. Count to four while inhaling before holding your breath for two seconds.

4 RELEASE BREATH

Exhale through your mouth for about six seconds while keeping your mouth relaxed. Continue this breathing pattern for between 5 and 15 minutes.

STRESS RELIEF AND ANTI-ANXIETY

Deep breathing exercises are best done with a straight back so that the lungs have space to fully expand

Controlling your breathing patterns can help in certain situations. Box breathing slows down your breathing and can be a relief in stressful circumstances. First, inhale deeply for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds before exhaling for four seconds and holding the breath once more. This can be repeated to calm the nervous system and return breathing to its normal rhythm. Box breathing is named because of the four repeated elements. You can draw a box in the air with your finger while carrying out this breathing exercise to keep the mind focused on the slow rhythm. US Navy SEALs use this technique in stressful situations, enabling them to think clearly.

4-7-8 breathing is a similar exercise that involves holding your breath for longer at a time and can help reduce anxiety. People often resort to this technique if they are unable to fall asleep. It involves breathing in through the nose for four seconds, holding that breath for seven seconds and forcefully breathing out through the mouth for eight seconds. At first this breathing exercise can make you feel lightheaded, so it shouldn’t be repeated more than four times. Even after practising, it’s recommended that you don’t repeat the cycle more than eight times consecutively.

PREVENTING PAIN

How controlled breathing can serve as a natural anaesthetic

Meditation techniques can help improve your memory and attention span

Breathing activates this part of the nervous system, responsible for relaxing the body and calming pain signals.

When breathing, muscle tension is reduced, relieving any muscle pain.

Inhaled oxygen is pumped around the body in the blood. Oxygenated blood

This article is from...

How It Works Magazine

11 April 2024

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