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Breathing Well
From beginning to end, breathing is probably the most important action in life. Simply speaking, we must breathe to live. Surprisingly, we are seldom taught how to breathe. For those of us fortunate enough to be exposed to eastern arts like Yoga, or to singing, or to playing a musical instrument that relies on the breath, our exposure to breathing exercises and the benefits of breathing has begun.
Unlike most actions, we continue breathing after we stop thinking about it. Our breathing muscles are connected to both our conscious and unconscious nervous systems. Because of this we can influence our unconscious breathing and other unconscious actions like heart and metabolic rates, simply by practicing the conscious control of our breath. With rapid shallow breathing we can increase heart rate and blood flow. By breathing more deeply and more slowly, we can reduce our heart rate and create relaxation.
By spending only a few minutes a day, you can influence and improve your health, including your mental functioning and your appreciation of being alive.
BREATHING EXERCISES
1. Breathing deeply into your belly.
To really breathe deeply, you will need the help of your belly or abdomen. With your hand on your belly, you can see if you are using your abdomen in breathing. When you breathe in fully, your hand should move outward before your chest rises. On exhalation, your chest should move down first, then your belly.
Besides the benefits of bringing in more air, the movement of our diaphragm (the muscle responsible for the movement of our bellies when we breathe) gives a gentle massage to all the organs in our abdomen and uses less effort than just expanding our chests.
Try this for a few breaths, squeezing out as much air as you can when exhaling. Because we notice when we are out of or short of breath, most of us are more conscious and practiced at breathing in. Do this a few minutes every day.
2 . Dr. Andrew Weil’s Relaxing Breath
This is a variation on a traditional Yoga breathing exercise that focuses on the time spent breathing in, holding your breath and breathing out. With regular practice, this technique can be used anytime you want to feel more at ease and more calm.
Begin by relaxing your jaw, mouth and lips, sitting with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. If at anytime you feel light headed, return to normal breathing. With regular practice that sensation will discontinue.
Breathe in (through your nose) for a count of 4.
Hold your breath for a count of 7.
Exhale (through your mouth) for a count of 8.
How fast you count is less important that the ratio of 4:7:8.
Repeat this 4 times, twice each day. After a month, increase this to 8 times twice each day.