“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”
– Oprah Winfrey
Relaxation is one of the biggest parts of your growth journey. To keep up your efforts, energy, learning, and motivation taking breaks to relax & get away from it all becomes very important.
People have been using breathing techniques for relaxation for ages. The very first things that come to your mind when you hear relaxed breathing will most probably be yoga,
Using breathing techniques for relaxation: How does deep breathing calm you
When dealing with a stressful situation or anticipating one, you might have noticed your breath taking on a shorter quicker rhythm. This affects the oxygen & carbon dioxide levels in your blood. As a result of
You start feeling not really well, which in turn starts over the whole process again because now you start to stress out for an additional reason.
So when you start consciously taking full deep breaths, the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance returns to normal & you start feeling better. Plus, focusing on the movement of your breath takes your attention away from the stressful situation & calms your mind down.
Breathing techniques for relaxation have loads of other health benefits too. If meditation doesn’t come easily to you (I can’t seem to concentrate when I know I’m trying to meditate!), mindful breathing exercises can turn out to be a very good alternative.
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Breathing techniques for relaxation: How do you relax to breathe deeply
Breathing techniques for relaxation need you to take deep breaths. But the question is how do you transition from the short breaths stress is causing and relax enough to start taking big gulps of air. Well, these steps will help you with that –
Focus:
Focus on the thing that you have control over – your breathing & not the situation stressing you out.
Senses:
Touch is a very powerful sense to divert attention. Touch 3 things cool in your immediate surrounding. Keep your touch on every item for at least 10 seconds.
Blow:
Imagine you’re blowing out a candle. Try blowing 3 candles out one by one. This will clear out accumulating carbon dioxide from your lungs and clear up space for more oxygen-rich air to be breathed in.
Feel:
Now that your breathing has slowed down to somewhat normal, place your hand on your stomach. Feel how it rises & falls back with your breath. This’ll help further take your mind off of the situation stressing you out & relax you enough to breathe deeply.
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Breathing techniques for relaxation and improved health:
1. Stress & anxiety:
Sit in a relaxed position. Put one hand on your chest & one on your belt line to know you if you’re doing the exercise properly or not. Heave out a big sigh. It’ll empty out the lungs out so that you can breathe in fresh air. Relax your neck, shoulder, and chest muscles. Not tough, right?
Breathe in beginning with your stomach to the point you are comfortable. Don’t pause. Exhale through the mouth squeezing your belly muscles towards the end.
While breathing out, purse your mouth as if you are trying to blow out a candle. The hand on your chest should move as little as possible and you should be able to see the other hand heaving up & down with every breath. Do this for a count of 20 reps.
If you feel tingly in your fingers or toes, dizzy or start to yawn, cut out a bit on the inhalation and exhalation timing. It is
When you hear people say ‘breathe’ while handling any stressful situation, this is what they’re actually talking about. It relaxes the body & calms the mind to deal with anxiety attacks and lower stress in the long run.
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2. Detox mind:
Did you know that toxin build-up in our body can lower mental alertness and reduce overall energy? Try this very relaxing and what’s believed to be detoxifying yoga routine.
Lay flat on the back with knees bent and feet together touching the buttocks. Place your hands on both sides of the belly button. Now do relaxed abdominal breathing for 20 reps.
This exercise relaxes the web of nerves concentrated near your belly button. It’ll also help in better oxygenation and detoxification of the nervous system. The immune system also benefits from this routine.
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3. Help with depression:
This exercise is part of a very well-known yoga routine. Sit in a relaxed position but don’t slouch. Slouching will make it tough work for your lungs, not leaving it enough space to move.
Exhale through one nostril keeping the other pressed closed with your thumb. Breathe in & out through
Breathe in and out for equal counts, say 3, 5 or 7 depending on your speed of counting. Try to concentrate on the movement of breath through your body.
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4. Improve concentration:
This is one of my favorite breathing techniques for relaxation because it also improves concentration, releases tension in neck muscles, helps get quality sleep at night, and even helps with my migraine.
Sitting in a relaxed non-slouched position, plug your ears with the thumbs. Place the index finger of both hands on your forehead and cover your eyes with the remaining fingers. Relax.
Now inhale deeply for as long as you feel comfortable. Exhale through your nose but with a humming sound made with your mouth where your teeth aren’t touching. Exhale to the exact count you inhaled.
Focus on the way the breathe travels through your body. If your thoughts wander away, don’t try to yank those back. Acknowledge the thought, but don’t explore it further.
Gently bring the focus back to your breathing. Begin with trying to do this for about 3 minutes. Remove your fingers from your eyes. Breathe normally. Then slowly open your eyes.
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5. Detox body:
You can use controlled and modulated breathing techniques to cleanse lungs of built-up stale air. This has multiple benefits –
- Better oxygen movement through the body.
- Better oxygenation will help your body absorb vitamins and minerals more effectively.
- Help dump toxins out of the body better.
- It’s also believed to help with the number of white blood cells in our body, which means better immune status.
Here’s a breathing exercise to give a nice work-out to the lungs and cleanse it to a great extent. Start with a big heavy sigh with your mouth open to empty the lungs out. Relax shoulder and neck muscles.
Now with the mouth closed, breathe
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6. Boost energy:
Stress makes our breathing shallow. This
Breathe
Doing this just for a minute will empty your lungs out enough to be able to breathe in fresh oxygen-rich air.
What happens with shallow breathing is that air gets trapped in our lungs & there’s not much space to breathe in fresh air. Deep breathing using your belly will also increase lung capacity providing more oxygen to the body. This’ll also help with your stamina for exercise or heavy work.
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7. Healthy heart:
Out of sync heartbeats whether skipped, slow, or rapid can be scary. It might be nothing big or it can indicate some health problem. If they’re not frequent or have just started, you might try these exercises. This is a simple three-inhalation breathing technique to bring your heartbeat back in control.
i)
Raise your arms straight in front of you while taking a quick short breath in. Breathe in another short one and spread your arms to the sides. Now raise your arms straight above your head while taking in another short breath. Breathe out slowly bringing your arms back down to your sides.
Repeat this 10 times whenever you feel an out-of-sync heartbeat. However, take care to consult your physician if the problem continues to check for any underlying medical problem that needs to be attended.
ii)
You can also try this. Keep your eyes closed. Relax your shoulder and chest muscles. Take full breaths using your abdomen. Hold this position and exhale squeezing your stomach. Push out the remaining air in your lungs. Try doing it for 3 minutes initially and steadily increase up to 7-10 minutes every day.
This will also help improve concentration and reduce the effects of stress on your body.
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8. Digestive health:
Breathing techniques for relaxation also help with our overall feeling of wellbeing. This routine is somewhat like
But, to let your body know that you’re focusing on the abdominal organs and not just the lungs, breathe out with a jerk so that your Adam’s apple (or the middle of your throat…if you’re an Eve : D ) moves.
Squeeze your stomach hard to help you in this. Focus on the movement of breath through your body. This’ll relax the mind. Begin with about 2-minute sessions a day and slowly increase it to around 5 minutes.
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I have had migraine for quite long but now I’m able to bring their frequency & intensity down with breathing techniques to where I’m now able to manage them without medication. But like with any natural remedy, you would have to show a bit of patience & regularity with breathing exercises to get the best results.
Regulated breathing can help enhance the quality of our life and trim those gradually spiking medical bills down. So just kick off your shoes, let your hair down, breathe, and relax your way to health. Breathe in peace. Breathe out stress.
Have you tried breathing techniques for relaxation? I would love to know how they worked out for you…let’s take the discussion to the comments section. See you there : )
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It’s really amazing how many health benefits proper breathing can have. It has helped me so many times when I have been stressed, so your points are definitely valid. Thanks for sharing — more people need to try it out!
I totally agree with you Jessica, more people need to try it out. It requires so little effort and so much to gain!
Love it! It’s amazing what a simple concentration of breathing can do! I find it really focuses me, especially if I do it in the morning.
Thanks Amanda 🙂
That’s really thiinnkg at a high level
Thanks Ival
These are wonderful tips! I usually practice breathing exercises in the morning. These excersises are great to add to my routine. Thanks so much for sharing😊
Thanks Phe 🙂 ….these really do solve a lot of health issues if practiced regularly