Breathing exercises help you slow down and relax. They have existed since the dawn of culture to re-energize the body and calm the mind. Today, many exercises, including yoga exercises, focus on ancient breathing techniques to bring some tranquility into a busy, stressful lifestyle. So if you feel anxious, upset or in need of relaxation, engage in an ancient breathing technique.
The Relaxing Breath
Start by sitting with your back straight and your tongue placed against the upper ridges of your mouth behind your teeth. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for a count of four seconds, hold your breath for seven and release the air from your mouth around your tongue for a count of eight, making a whooshing sound as you do so. Repeat this three more times. Dr. Andrew Weil, an advocate of integrative medicine, advises using this relaxing breath technique to tranquilize the nervous system, to help the body fall asleep and to calm down during anxious moments.
Alternate Nose Breathing
Alternate nose breathing (ANB), also called pranayama, involves breathing in through one nostril and exhaling from the other. Begin by holding the thumb to the left nostril while inhaling deeply through the right. Then hold your thumb to your right nostril, while exhaling from your left. Follow that by inhaling through your left nostril before switching your thumb placement to exhale through your right. Repeat this process three times. A study published in the Nepal Medical College Journal found that four weeks of alternate nose breathing significantly reduced heart rate, pulse rate and diastolic blood pressure for a group of 36 volunteers. A decrease in diastolic blood pressure means that the heart places less tension against the blood vessels while beating.
Yogic Breathing
Teachers of yoga have been perfecting breathing exercises to increase oxygen and remove toxins from the body for centuries. Mark Roberts, a yogi master of more than 20 years, told the "South Florida Sun-Sentinel" that the proper way to breathe is through the nostrils, where the tiny nose hairs can remove impurities which the throat cannot block. Also, as you inhale, the incoming breath should fill the abdomen completely before it exits from the mouth. Masters of yoga believe that your life span relates to the number of breaths you take, so practice taking slower, fewer breaths to extend your life.
