As I mentioned in my last post on practicing yoga for stress relief and insomnia, focus on the breath and breathing are an important part of the package. But you don’t have to do yoga to learn how to practice deep breathing or experience its health benefits.
With its focus on full, cleansing breaths, deep breathing is a simple yet powerful relaxation technique. It’s easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere, and provides a quick way to get your stress levels in check. Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and soothing music. All you really need is a few minutes and a place to stretch out.
Most of us are never taught to breath deeply so we tend to take shallow breaths using the top part of our lungs – often inhaling and exhaling from our mouths. This way of breathing puts a strain on your throat and voice when you speak or sing, and more importantly it deprives the brain from the oxygen it needs to perform optimally. So not only can it slow you down, it can cause you to feel fatigued or even winded.
The first step in developing a deep breathing practice or ritual is to bring awareness to your breath and notice how you breathe. Deep breathing starts in your belly. As you lay down in a comfortable spot, place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose and notice which hand is rising up – the one on your chest or the one on your stomach? It should be the one on your stomach and as you slowly exhale out of your mouth, the same hand should move down while the one on your chest hardly moves. This is the correct way to do it.
Speak Your Mind