Whether you are an experienced yogi or have never completed a breathing exercise in your life, body balancing and breathing techniques are an effective method for maintaining equilibrium and mental well-being. According to the web resource Optimal Breathing, the majority of people inhale and exhale roughly 12 breaths per minute using mostly chest-breathing methods. By practicing body balancing and deep-breathing techniques, you can improve both the quality and timing of your breaths by utilizing your diaphragm in a steadier breathing rate that balances your carbon dioxide oxygen ratios in the lungs.
Step 1
Begin your body balancing exercise by sitting comfortably on a pillow with your back straight. For added comfort you may place the pillow on a yoga mat or cushioned surface and let your knees rest on the mat as you sit on the pillow. Place one hand on your chest and the other immediately over your stomach.
Step 2
Inhale the way you normally breathe and notice which hand moves the most. Now inhale once again through the nose and attempt to move the hand on your stomach with your breathing while keeping the hand on your chest relatively still. Exhale through the mouth and begin to count your breaths until you are able to both slowly inhale and exhale for 15 seconds each.
Step 3
Perform the body balance tension release exercise by gradually tensing and relaxing each part of your body while sitting. Begin with your right foot, tensing and squeezing the muscles and tightly as you can for a count of 10 before releasing all of the tension in the foot. Notice the feeling of tension leaving the body and feel the difference between tension and relaxation. Do this for all parts of your body until the entire body is completely relaxed.
Step 4
Attempt the Bellows Breath exercise prescribed by Andrew Weil, M.D., by rapidly inhaling and exhaling through your nose while keeping the mouth closed and relaxed. Increase your breathing rate to three complete inhales and exhales per second for 15 seconds followed by a minute of normal breathing. Gradually increase how long you continue the rapid breathing exercise until you are able to go on for 60 seconds or longer without feeling light-headed.
Step 5
Stand up and remove the pillow from your yoga mat. Slowly lift one leg while keeping the other leg straight and intact. Bend the knee of the lifted leg so that it is parallel to the floor and slowly bend your shoulders forward while reaching out with both hands to grab your foot. Hold your foot for 30 to 60 seconds before slowly returning it to the floor and repeating the balancing technique on the other foot.
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat or cushioned surface
- Pillow
